The Curse of Pumpkin Skin
by Juura99
Summary: It's Halloween and Naruto, Sasuke and Kiba receive a strange looking doll. When night falls, however, they are thrown into a nightmare of deadly proportions. Will they survive to see the sunrise? Light SasuNaru, blood and horror. Happy Halloween!
1. Suspicious Arrival

**Ahaha~... I slept in. -_-**

**Sorry I'm a liiittle later than I meant to be but hey, it's still kind early? (midday...fml)**

**Here's the first part!**

**Warnings: light language, blood and violence, horror and SasuNaru shounen-ai, some Sakura-bashing  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto characters. The 'Legend' I used in this story is all false. (In otherwords, I completely bullshitted my way through this. XD)**

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><p><strong>The Curse of Pumpkin Skin<strong>

_**Suspicious Arrival**_

The air was heavy with a thick scent that clouded over the oxygen, snuffing it out and replacing it with a heady smell that would make the toughest man lightheaded. The morning sunlight was snuffed out by the thick blue curtains drawn over the windows, and all sounds were muffled by the closed glass panes and door.

On the large double bed was a mess of black and orange sheets, tangled around a tanned body that rolled over, an arm hanging over the edge of the bed.

A loud snore echoed through the room, sounding loud in the otherwise noiseless environment.

The alarm sitting on the bedside table began to blink before a trill ripped through the air. It went on for five seconds before going silent. Then, ten seconds later, it started again.

A heavy groan of frustration came from the tangled sheets before the limp arm began to swat at the bedside table, trying to locate the source of annoyance. It found the alarm and thick, uncoordinated fingers tried to press the tiny button that would turn it off.

After five failures, the person sat up, blond hair wild and messy from sleep and glazed blue eyes flaming angrily. The young man grabbed the alarm, holding it close to his face as he tried to determine where the elusive 'off' button was. Not able to locate it with his sleepy eyes, he growled and began to smack the alarm against his bed in an effort to shut it up.

After ten smacks it fell suspiciously silent. He pulled it back up to his face, frowning at it with a cautious glare. He didn't trust it. But after a minute, nothing had happened. Deciding that he'd managed to silence the infernal contraption, he placed it back onto the side table and lay down, curling under the sheets with a content sigh.

Ten seconds later, the alarm trilled again. A stream of angry curses began to pour from his mouth as he struggled across his bed, bouncing on his back as he edged towards the table. With violent movements he grabbed the alarm and shoved it on the bed. He then grabbed a pillow and began to beat the metallic object.

"Die! Die! Die!" he repeated with each frustrated hit. Eventually, he picked the alarm up, glaring at its surface.

It trilled in his face.

He roared and stomped over to his window, pulling the curtains aside and hissing dramatically at the sunlight. Yanking the window open, he tossed the alarm up and caught it, a smirk on his face. He stepped back, winding up his arm like he was on a baseball field and cleanly threw the alarm out the window, watching it smash against the road with a satisfied smile.

It was only after he closed the curtains that he realized he was now wide awake.

He cursed the alarm that lay shattered on the road, its screen blinking with the time as if it were triumphant in its victory before it finally faded away.

With a yawn, the blond stepped out of his room, immediately noticing the difference in air quality, and made a mental note to open his window later. He walked down the hall, trailing a hand along the wall as the other scratched at his stomach and then at his crotch.

He reached a door at the end with a large sign nailed onto it that stated 'Shag Pad'. Knocking once, he turned the knob and pushed open the door.

"Oi Kiba," he called, yawning again. If possible, this room was even darker and the air even thicker than his own. He sniffed and coughed, waving his hand. "Jesus man, how much did you smoke last night?" he asked, trudging over to the window. He almost tripped over the body on the floor, and carefully stepped over the sleeping male.

Reaching the window he pulled the curtains aside and shoved the window open.

There was a girlish cry of protest and he turned, crossing his arms over his broad chest. His shirt was clinging to him from sweating all night, but sleeping with the door and window closed after his smoking a joint the night before tended to do that.

"Nooo! Sunlight burns!" the boy on the floor moaned, trying to cover his shaggy brunet head with a run-away pillow.

The blond snorted, walking over and kicking at the brunet. "C'mon you lazy git, it's time to get up," he mumbled.

A narrow black eye peered over the edge of the pillow. "What day'sit?" the sleepy voice asked. He sighed.

"Saturday."

The pillow was thrown at his face.

"Shut up!" the brunet whined. "Dammit Naruto! Why are you waking me up so early on Saturday? Have you no decency?" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the blond.

Naruto snorted, easily tossing the pillow back with equal ferocity. "Because, dickhead, I'm awake!" he replied easily, smirking when Kiba let out a low moan of disapproval. "Come on man, you need to feed your mutt," he told him, stepping over the other and back into the hall.

"He's not a mutt! He's an important part of our family!" Kiba yelled after him, but Naruto just shook his head and laughed.

The blond walked through the house and went into the kitchen. He yanked open the fridge door, peering inside and reached for the milk. As he pulled it out he frowned, shaking the carton and hearing the loud slosh of liquid at the bottom.

"Kiba, we're almost out of milk!" he yelled.

"So go buy some!" Kiba yelled back.

Naruto grumbled under his breath, putting the near empty carton on the counter. Bending down to peer at the bottom he yawned, reaching a hand back to scratch at an itch on his ass. The sounds of nails on tile met his ears and he peered over the edge of the fridge door to see the large white beast that shared their house with them.

"Good morning Akamaru," Naruto greeted blandly. The large dog gave a soft bark in return. Naruto nodded and turned back to the fridge.

He started when he felt a tug on his pants, and looked down to see a fat orange tabby pawing at his pant leg. Grinning, he swept down and scooped the fuzzy cat up, nuzzling its head.

"And good morning my precious little bundle of fuzz! Did you kill lots of pesky mice last night Kyuubi? Hmm?" he cooed, petting the cat as he kneaded his shirt with his claws. "You're such a good kitty-cat!" the blond added, pressing his face against Kyuubi's and mashing their cheeks together. The cat hissed, flicking its head irritably.

"That cat is evil," Kiba stated as he walked into the kitchen. As soon as he was in sight, Akamaru started to yip excitedly and dance around. Kiba opened his mouth in a wide grin as he crouched down, approaching the ecstatic canine with wide arms. "There's my big boy! There's my good doggy! Who's a good doggy? You are!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as Kiba started to hug and cuddle Akamaru, cooing at him in baby talk and making the dog's tail wag so wildly the blond was surprised it didn't fall right off his ass.

"My cat is not evil! He's intelligent and cool, unlike your flea-factory."

Kiba glared at him through Akamaru's thick white fur. "As I recall, it was your cat that we had to pay a fortune to get de-flea-ed last week!" he reminded and Naruto scowled down at him.

"Still, my cat is awesome. Your dog is stupid," he retorted.

Kiba growled but let it go when there were heavy footsteps indicating someone else was coming to the kitchen. Naruto's face fell into an unpleasant frown as he watched the newcomer walk in.

Kiba waved good morning. "Morning Sasuke!"

Sasuke grunted in reply, his long black bangs tangled around his face and the spikes at the back drooping downwards. He scratched at his chin, feeling the stubble running across it, and met Naruto's eyes with an almost forlorn expression.

Naruto turned away grumpily.

Sasuke continued to look at him. "Morning Naruto," he greeted.

"Morning bastard," Naruto greeted back stiffly before turning to head back down the hall. "I'm going to buy milk Kiba. Feed Kyuubi for me," he asked as he stepped out. Kiba sighed, nodding as his half-brother disappeared down the hall. He turned to look at Sasuke, watching the raven slump into a chair and bury his face in his arms. "I take it you guys are still fighting?" he asked sympathetically.

Sasuke groaned. "He still doesn't believe me."

"You can't really blame him, I mean," Kiba scratched at his hair, pulling out a bit of dirt. "You've been partnered up with a girl who's been flirting with you since preschool for a science project, and you have to spend hours alone with her to work on it. And of course she's started to spread rumours around the school about you guys," he finished, scratching Akamaru's fur and smiling at the dog when he rolled onto his back, begging for a tummy rub.

Sasuke growled into his arm. "Bitch."

Kiba nodded, but was stopped from saying anything else by Naruto striding out the hall. All he'd done was shove some jeans on and grab a jacket.

"Nice outfit," Kiba called teasingly and got the finger in reply.

Naruto didn't even spare Sasuke a glance as he stepped out of the house, and the raven sighed sadly.

Kiba stood and rubbed his hand over Sasuke's back sympathetically. "Don't worry, your boyfriend will come around eventually," he reassured. Sasuke mumbled a soft 'I hope so' before his nose scrunched as an odour hit it. He reeled back.

"Akamaru farted!"

"Oh, good boy Akamaru!"

"Don't encourage it Kiba!"

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><p>Naruto yawned widely as he stepped into the small convenience store a few blocks away from his house. The cashier was a girl from his school named Tenten. She was the tomboy of their class and Naruto got on pretty well with her.<p>

"So how's it going Naruto?" she asked as she scanned his few items; some milk, some cereal, some bread and a shitload of beer and sweets. "Got anything planned for Halloween?"

Naruto jumped. "It's Halloween?" he asked in surprise and Tenten laughed.

"Yeah dude, it's today! Tonight the streets are going to be filled with trick-or-treating kids!" she informed him, laughing when Naruto gaped in surprise. "I thought you knew, and that's why you were buying all the sweets," she said, motioning the delectable treasures. Naruto looked down at them, frowning in thought.

"Okay, wait here!" he said, ducking back down an aisle. Tenten snickered as she heard him grabbing various bags and packets before he came back with even more sweets. "Here! Now we have enough for the kids and us!" he said cheerfully.

Tenten smiled, swiping the items through. As lazy and silly as Naruto could be, and despite the fact that he was, practically, an irresponsible guy, he always made time for the kids. The neighbourhood children adored him even though the parents were less than impressed by his lifestyle.

She slid the last few items in a bag, and told him the total. He was just pulling out his wallet when someone sidled up to him.

"Hey Naruto!"

Tenten immediately saw the way Naruto looked ready to tear something in half. She raised her eyebrows as she observed the girl now chattering away next to Naruto. She had bright pink hair that was tied back, and was wearing a vivid pink top with a ruffled pink skirt. Tenten rubbed her eyes, trying to rid them of the pink tinge they attained from the, in her opinion, hideous display.

"Hello Sakura," Naruto greeted. It sounded like it hurt to drag the words from his throat.

"You should have, like, been there last night, when Sasuke and I were working on our project! He was like, so funny! He kept looking at the wrong page in the book, and like, I had to point out the right page every time! And then he would like, smile and say thank you! It was like, so cute the way he said it! I can't wait until he asks me to the Halloween dance! Could you like, egg him on for me? You guys share a house right? Could you like, tell him to call me when you get home? I like, want to talk to him!" Sakura babbled away and Tenten shared a look of sympathy with the obviously irritated blond. She could easily see his dislike for the pink girl, but the cheerleader was oblivious.

Deciding to help the poor sucker out, Tenten cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Sakura?" she said, gaining the attention of the girl. Sakura looked at her with contempt, curling a few strands of pink hair with her fingers.

"Like, what?" she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Tenten decided then and there that the girl was a little bitch who was never going to find love.

"If you're _like_, not going to buy something, you can, _like_, get the fuck out!" Tenten said, imitating her annoying voice and smiling sweetly as she used the other girls over-used 'like'.

Naruto barely concealed his snort, as Sakura gaped indignantly, her gum almost falling out her mouth.

"Like, excuse me?" Sakura asked, sneering at Tenten who just quirked her eyebrows in challenge. "Ugh, whatever you lesbian," Sakura snapped. She turned to Naruto. "So like, can I walk home with you? I like, want to see where Sasuke lives!"

"Sorry Sakura," Naruto deadpanned, not sounding sorry at all. "But I have really important things to do...like watching my cat hurl up hairballs and my brother's dog shit bricks in the yard," he grabbed his bags, walking past the pink girl.

"That's like, so gross!" Sakura whined. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Pinky? Are you buying something or not?" she snapped. Sakura just huffed, turning on her heel and striding out of the store. Tenten sneered after her, shaking her head and pulling out her magazine.

Naruto walked through the streets, silently fuming as he thought about Sasuke and Sakura sitting all alone in a library, laughing together and smiling and accidentally brushing hands after dropping a pencil.

"Tch, stupid jackass! Why'd he agree to be her partner anyway?" he grumbled to himself. He heard a tearing sound and cursed, watching as the bags of sweets fell out of the broken bags and crumpled to the ground. The cans of beer also rolled out and he saw one spring a leak. With a yell he grabbed it, trying not to waste any beer and put his mouth over the puncture. He sucked the liquid out, some of it dribbling out the corners of his mouth as he tried to gather his fallen items before they could roll away.

"How disgusting!" a voice said nearby, and Naruto mentally yelled in frustration as he looked around to see one of the neighbourhood elders standing there. She was with her husband, an even older man with a cane who was simply watching blankly. He had a bandage wrapped around one half of his face, and his other arm was hidden in his coat. The rumours among the younger groups was that he had been kidnapped when he was younger by a weird voodoo clan and when he came back he had severe injuries and disfigurements. But Naruto decided that that rumour stemmed from the fact that the guy just acted like he was ready to cast a curse at anyone who pissed him off.

Of course Naruto didn't believe any of that.

Narrowing his eyes, he took another gulp of beer, pulling the can away and holding it horizontally to keep the brew inside. With his free hand he gathered the rest of his purchases, trying to balance them all in his arm.

"Gee, thanks for helping grandma! Whatever happened to common courtesy?" he asked snappily. Seriously, he wasn't in the mood for anyone's bullshit after his little encounter with Sakura at the store.

The old lady sniffed, turning her bulbous nose up at him. "You're just a little delinquent—"

"And you're an ugly old whore-bag," Naruto countered calmly as he strode past. He ignored her shocked and indignant gasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got shit to do."

"Such a rude little brat! You'd better watch yourself, boy, or you'll be cursed to your death! You and your little delinquent housemates!" the old lady threatened but Naruto only sucked on the beer can and gave her the finger once his hand was free.

He made it home, already putting the crazy old bat's warning from his mind as he struggled to open the door. His teeth were digging into the beer can still attached to his mouth, even though it was almost empty now. He fumbled with the door handle, mentally cursing when it refused to give way.

Just as he finally got a grip on it, it turned in his hand and he was yanked forwards as the door open.

"Na-Oh shit!" Sasuke stepped back in time to avoid the great mass tumbling towards him. He was about to laugh in victory when he realized that it was none other than his blond lying in pain on the floor, and he winced. This was not going to boost his brownie points to get out of the guest room.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" he asked, crouching down and gingerly offering some assistance to the bruised blond. Naruto snorted, slapping his hand away as he got to his knees.

"Just peachy!" he spat out, gathering the goods into his arms. "Oh, I ran into your _girlfriend_ at the store! She says she can't wait for you to ask her to the dance, and she said she enjoyed your study session in the library, 'where you like, _smiled_ at her and were like, _so funny_!'" he mocked Sakura's high pitched voice with great disgust.

Sasuke groaned, pressing his hand to his eyes. "Naruto, I'm not interested in Sakura! How many times do I have to tell you?" he said miserably, scrambling to his feet as Naruto just stomped past. Kyuubi came slinking out of the kitchen, watching the two humans come forward with a cat-like smirk in his reddish eyes.

"Wow, you could've fooled me bastard," Naruto sneered, dropping his purchases on the counter. "Seems like you guys are getting awfully chummy! And hey, she is the head cheerleader and most popular girl in the school, so why wouldn't you be attracted to her? Don't let a little delinquent like me hold you back from getting some cheer-ass," he finished venomously, the old lady's words coming back and further throwing his mood southwards.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in anger. "Don't call yourself that!"

"I'll call myself whatever the hell I want!" Naruto snapped back. There came a whine and both heads looked down to see Akamaru staring up at them with wide, innocent eyes. He whined again, obviously unsettled by their arguing and his ears drooped sadly. Sasuke sighed and Naruto looked slightly guilty but he didn't apologize. Instead he just turned away, putting away the last of the things.

"Don't eat these sweets. They're for the trick-or-treaters that are stopping by tonight," he instructed blankly, putting the extra sweets in a cupboard.

"Trick-or-treaters? It's Halloween already?" Sasuke asked and received a nod in response. He brightened. "Want to go out then? We can dress up and roam the neighbourhood scaring off bullies like we usually do," he said with no small amount of hope in his voice.

Naruto paused from packing things away, his head hanging slightly as he bit his lip. In truth he would love nothing more than for him, Sasuke and Kiba to dress up in their usual monster garb and go around frightening old ladies and scaring off the meaner kids. But he was still fighting with the bastard, and things between them were crumbling quickly. He knew he was at fault for not letting it go, but he couldn't stand the thought of Sasuke and Sakura being alone together anywhere. He knew how much of a persistent girl Sakura could be, and he didn't trust that Sasuke could hold her off when there was no one around. His guard wouldn't be as high because there would be no chance to get caught doing something wrong.

Call him jealous and suspicious, but Naruto wouldn't deny the claims. He knew he was and he wasn't sorry. He had his reason to be suspicious over Sasuke, and knowing Sakura the way he did, he sure as shit wasn't about to relax while they worked alone on a project. Why couldn't Sasuke just ask for a different partner? He doubted their teacher would say no.

"You and Kiba can go if you want. I'm going to stay in tonight and hand out treats," he said eventually, his voice tired and empty. He almost felt the rush of air as Sasuke deflated with disappointment, but ignored it. He put away the last bag and brushed his hands off, noticing some scrapes along his palms from crawling around on the floor. He rubbed at the little scratches, feeling granules of sand move around.

He winced, moving to rinse them. Before he could do more than approach the sink, arms were moving around his body and grabbing his hands from behind. He froze, feeling Sasuke standing against him. The raven sighed minutely as he turned the tap on, and guided Naruto's hands to the cool water. He tenderly rubbed his fingers over the scratches, resting his chin on Naruto's shoulder and letting their cheeks touch.

"I promise I'm not doing anything behind your back Naru," he murmured. Naruto didn't say a word, just stared ahead. "Sakura's just being a bitch and spreading rumours. She's an idiot who misinterprets everything I do and say. Yesterday I was so busy thinking about how I could make things right with you I wasn't even focusing on the work. I must have read the same thing over and over again. Sakura kept nagging me about it so I just smiled to shut her up. I'm not interested in her at all and I never will be," he said sincerely.

For a brief moment, Naruto seemed to press back into his hold and Sasuke wanted to sing with relief. He hated it when he and Naruto fought, especially when he couldn't actually fight back because that wouldn't make things better. He had already taken the defensive anger road in this situation, and it had only driven Naruto further away from him and gotten his ass in the guest room. Now all he wanted was Naruto to believe him because he was telling the truth! He knew Naruto didn't have complete trust in him, and he couldn't blame the blond considering his less-than-clean track record when it came to relationships. But he'd known Naruto since he was a little kid, and they'd been close friends before they ever started dating. He just wanted his beloved boyfriend to look at him again.

But now Naruto was pushing back a bit too hard, and Sasuke realized he was trying to push Sasuke back away from the sink so he could leave. He internally cried, wanting nothing more than to press Naruto back against the sink and squeeze him until things were alright again. But sadly, he knew it didn't work like that.

With a forlorn sigh, he stepped away from the blond and Naruto walked away.

"I want to believe you bastard. But it's not easy," Naruto said over his shoulder before he vanished.

Sasuke groaned, rubbing a hand over his eyes. He glanced at the clock, noting it was heading towards midday. Deciding he had nothing better to do, he got out the jack-o-lantern that Kiba and Naruto had made earlier that week and placed it out front to let the kids know that candy could be found at their residence. He wasn't looking forward to the hordes of little monsters-literally-but Naruto loved giving them sweets, so he wouldn't complain.

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><p>The day faded by with little activity. The three of them were currently sitting on the couch, with Kiba in the middle and Sasuke and Naruto on either side of him. The brunet felt extremely uncomfortable between the two when Sasuke kept sending mushy-forlorn looks towards Naruto, who would blatantly ignore them by eating more popcorn or taking a sip of beer. Akamaru was laying on the floor at Kiba's feet, occasionally licking at his master's toes in consolation.<p>

Kyuubi was sleeping soundly on the armrest, his tail curling in his dreams.

"What time is it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke checked his watch.

"It's four thirty," he supplied. Naruto didn't reply and Kiba sighed.

"It's four thirty," he repeated.

"Thanks Kiba," Naruto replied and Kiba sent a helpless look at Sasuke as the raven grumpily leant against the opposite armrest, a frown on his face.

Suddenly a knock came from the front door, and the three boys looked up at each other.

"Who's that?" they all asked at once before swivelling their heads around.

"Are you expecting someone?" Sasuke asked Kiba who shook his head and turned to Naruto.

"Did you order anything?" he asked and Naruto shook his head, hair fluttering about. He looked over at Sasuke and narrowed his eyes.

"Did you arrange a meeting with _Sakura_," he said the name with obvious distaste. Sasuke prickled.

"No, and I never would invite her over here! I refuse to tell her where I live!" he said, looking horrified at the mere idea of the pink girl knowing his residence.

Naruto just turned away, already knowing that Sakura didn't know where they lived but trying to find some sort of slip from Sasuke. He honestly wanted to believe that nothing was going on behind his back, but damn it was hard when he heard rumours everyday about what 'Sasuke and Sakura did during their last, intimate study session'. God, it grated his nerves even when he heard the obvious lies.

"Well, someone knocked at the door," Kiba pointed out, peering over the back of the couch curiously. "Maybe they're trick-or-treating early this year?" he wondered.

Naruto perked up, moving off the couch. "Well, I guess I'll go see who it is," he mumbled, walking out the lounge and towards the front door by the stairs. He pulled the door open, blinking when no one was standing there. He leant out the door, bracing his hands on the wooden frame and looking from side to side. He could see the bushes that lined their porch and then the street a few feet away. Kiba's beat up Ford was resting on the sidewalk in front of their property, but not a sign of human life was visible.

Frowning, Naruto took a step out to see if someone was hiding. He bit back a yelp when his foot stood on something that wasn't wood or welcome mat. Looking down, he was surprised to find a wrapped package sitting at the foot of the door. Bending down, he picked the lumpy item up. Whatever was inside of it seemed rather soft, but firm and he pondered what it could be.

Looking around for a sign of who could've left it there, he titled his head towards the bushes. "Hello? Is anyone out here?"

There was no reply, but a bird cawed overhead. Naruto looked up, stepping forward to see past the porch roof. Sitting on a phone wire was a crow, its beady eyes trained on him. The blond frowned, confused by the strange behaviour. He jumped in surprise when the crow squawked loudly, and with a huff he stepped back inside, closing the door.

"Who was it?" Sasuke asked as he stepped in, and his black eyes fell onto the package. "A delivery?"

"I don't know. Someone left it by the door," Naruto said, shifting the big package in his hands. He took a seat, placing it on the table before them and leant over it.

"Is there a card or something?" Sasuke asked, prodding at the item and lifting the folds of wrapper up to search for some kind of indication as to who it was for. Naruto shook his head, also peering at the item. Kiba looked between them before staring at the package in determination.

"Well, let's not prod it like a bunch of stupid scientists!" he exclaimed and dived in, tearing away the wrapping paper with zest while the other two backed off, raising their arms to stop shreds of paper from fluttering in their faces.

"Jesus, you crazy animal!" Naruto cried, hearing Kiba laughing like a loon as he tore through the paper.

"Calm down Kiba!" Sasuke added, ducking when Kiba's arm flung backwards a bit too enthusiastically. He growled, grabbing the guy's arm and yanking it back, glaring into Kiba's eyes. "I said. Calm. The hell. _Down_."

Kiba chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish gesture as Naruto gingerly picked away the pieces of torn paper. His blue eyes bulged as he saw what was hidden beneath the foiled paper.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that thing?" he asked, pushing himself back in horror. Kiba and Sasuke blinked, bending over to pick up the contents together. Kiba held the thing up since Sasuke let it go the moment he saw it, also disgusted.

"...It looks like a voodoo doll!" Kiba said, turning the raggedly looking thing over. Indeed it did. It seemed to be sewn with a strange material, a muddy orange in colour that resembled the skin of a pumpkin, and had filling that felt a bit loose, like sand or something. Its mouth was simply a sewn line of small X's that stayed straight and expressionless. Two glass eyes were sown on, pupil-less with only a large green dot to serve as an iris. It was wearing a small black cape and had straggles of material acting as hair.

It was quite the ugly thing.

"Whoa, look at its hands!" Naruto said, pointing to the dangling limbs on the doll. Kiba picked an arm up, his eyes widening as he took in the claws imbedded into the doll.

"Geez, whoever made this went all out!" he mumbled.

Sasuke ran his finger over one of the claws, pulling it back and staring at the red line. "Those things are razor sharp!" he hissed, licking at the small cut. "I wasn't even pressing!"

"This thing is dangerous!" Naruto said, snatching the doll and standing up. "I'm going to put it in the attic."

He took a step forwards but froze when there was a vicious yowl. He turned, crying out when Kyuubi launched himself towards the blond, landing on the doll and hissing venomously. The tabby sunk his claws into the fabric, tearing at the doll.

"Whoa! Kyuubi!" Naruto yelled, trying to shake the cat off. He heard a pained screech from his pet and Kyuubi jumped away, landing on the couch and licking at his bleeding paw. "Huh? How'd that happen!" Naruto yelled.

"He must've hit the claws accidentally!" Sasuke said, scooping the mewling cat up and carefully looking at his paw. "Oh, he's got a deep scratch," he said worriedly.

"What?" Naruto tossed the doll to the floor, the raggedy thing bouncing once and the metal claws clunking heavily on the floor. The blond rushed over to Sasuke, standing close to peer at his precious cat's paw. "No! We need to take him to the vet!" he said frantically.

"Relax Naruto," Sasuke said soothingly, placing a comforting hand on the blond's shoulder. Unlike the last few days, it wasn't thrown off. Sasuke took a chance and wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Here, let's go to the vet now. They'll be able to stitch him up and give him some medicine to take away the pain or something," he reassured, cradling Kyuubi close to his chest while Naruto stroked the tabby's head affectionately.

"Okay," Naruto said, breaking away. "Kiba, give me your keys. We'll take your car," he said, snatching the keys when Kiba tossed them to him. He spotted the doll and glared. "And put that stupid thing somewhere it can gather dust and spider-webs!" he snapped.

Kiba saluted him, his other arm slung over the back of the couch as he watched them leave. When the front door slammed shut, he turned his narrow eyes to the doll on the floor, his lips turning into a frown. "What a weird thing to get," he mumbled, slipping off the couch and crouching over it.

Carefully, he picked it up and held it at arm's length, watching as the head lolled to one side and the blank glass eyes just stared ahead, unseeing. Then again, he would've probably shit himself if they looked as if they _could_ see him.

Sighing and shaking his head, he started to walk towards the stairs. The upstairs part of their house was much less used, since there were bedrooms downstairs. They had turned the upstairs into more of a storage area and guest rooms.

Sasuke was currently sleeping in one of said rooms.

Kiba stood on the landing and looked up, seeing the latch that led to the attic. They hardly ever went in there, and Naruto did say he must put the doll somewhere that it would rot. The attic was perfect.

"Alright Mr. Mcvoodoo! Time for you to see your new residence!" Kiba said jovially as he reached up and pulled the latch down. The ladder slid down slowly and Kiba grabbed the end to pull it down the rest of the way and set it to the floor. He climbed the rungs and stuck his head into the musty area above, fiddling around before finding the small chain that would turn on the light.

Spiders crawled away from him as the light came on and Kiba squeaked before ducking back down and shuddering. "God, I hate spiders!" he mumbled. He cautiously peeked inside again, looking around for any sneaky wall-crawlers. Luckily they had fled from him and he used the time of freedom to haul the doll up.

As it was passing his face, he let out a yelp as he felt a claw slice against his cheek, just under his eye. He dropped the doll and it landed heavily on the wooden floor of the attic, the blank eyes in his direction.

Kiba raised his fingers to the cut, pulling them away to see small droplets of blood. He turned to look at the doll, wondering how the claw had nicked him.

"I guess I wasn't very careful," he mumbled, and his eyebrow rose as he looked at the doll's face. He stared at it, trying to see clearly. Finally he shrugged and started to descend, glancing up again to double check what he'd seen. It was still there. He stepped off the ladder and lifted it up, closing the latch again.

"Weird," he mumbled, walking to the bathroom to get a band aid to put over his cut. "I could've sworn it wasn't smiling before," he said softly, thinking back to the way the stitched mouth had been curved into a wide grin when he'd put the doll down in the attic. "Ah, it was probably just me being blind."

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><p><strong>To be continued~<strong>

**(Very soon too)**

**^_^ Reviews would be appreciated! See you next chapter at around... four or five (my time). :D  
><strong>


	2. Pumpkin Skin Doll

**=w= Muahahhaha...things are about to get worse.**

**Warnings and Disclaimer: Same as last chapter.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>The Curse of Pumpkin Skin<strong>

**_Pumpkin Skin Doll_**

Naruto wrung his hands as he sat in the waiting area at the vet. Sitting around him were various people with their pets. Sickly looking dogs, fat hamsters and near featherless birds all greeted him and it only increased his nerves. The vet was taking care of Kyuubi now, but he still worried. Although Sasuke had reassured him that it wasn't too bad and Kyuubi would be fine, he still felt afraid. Kyuubi had been in his life for years, and had been one of his closest companions through a lot of shit. If someone bad happened, Naruto didn't know what he'd do.

"He'll be fine, Naruto," Sasuke said softly, taking a chance and placing a hand over Naruto's to still their incessant wringing. The blond sighed, aggravated.

"I know...but I still worry! It's like," he put a finger to his head, digging the nail into his skull. "Once I get an idea in my head, it's so hard to let it go! It's like a parasite, burrowing through my skull and casting doubts and negativity all over the place! I know it's not that bad, but I still feel like something bad is going to happen!" he whined, rubbing his face with his hands.

Sasuke listened thoughtfully, and his eyes lightened with an understanding. "Is that why you're struggling to believe me when I tell you that there's nothing going on behind your back? You got an idea and now you can't let it go?" he asked slowly, his hand moving to the back of Naruto's neck and rubbing small circles with his thumb. Naruto tensed up at his question, his eyes trained on the floor. He seemed to be deep in thought, but Sasuke dared not to break it. He simply kept rubbing circles with his thumb, playing with the strands of blond hair at the nape of Naruto's neck.

"...Maybe," Naruto mumbled eventually before sighing and running his hands through his hair. "More than likely...probably," he muttered brokenly.

Sasuke scooted closer. "Naruto, I swear on my life and the life of my entire family, that I'm not cheating on you!" he whispered, not wanting anyone else in the waiting area to get clued in on their personal problems.

Naruto put his head in his hands. "...I know...but I just can't get rid of the idea...And Sakura isn't helping! Where would she get the ideas for a rumour if something didn't happen between you?" he asked, trying and failing not to sound accusing. Sasuke sighed heavily.

"Naruto, she's a crazy girl with a big imagination and no common sense. I could probably fart in her face as I walk past and she'd somehow see it as a love confession!" he said, smiling when Naruto laughed into his hands at the image. "I don't even know what the rumours are, but I can assure you that they're all a bunch of exaggerated bullshit! All we do when we're together is work. Wait, no scratch that," he said and Naruto turned to look at him. "I do all the work, Sakura just rambles on about something that is about as interesting to me as a health-food planner is to you."

Naruto snorted again at the comparison. There were still clinging doubts in his mind, but he felt somewhat reassured.

"Thanks Sasu—"

"SASUKE! What a surprise to see you here!" a girlish voice yelled and the two looked up to see Sakura's best friend Ino at the doorway. She held a large rabbit in her arms. "Say, say! Are you taking Sakura to the dance tonight? She called me earlier and told me how you guys held hands when you left the library yesterday!"

Sasuke wanted to throw the nearby hamster cage at the girl when Naruto pulled away from him, muttering a low 'I'm going to check on my cat, bastard' before walking away. He wanted to follow, but Ino stepped into his way. Sasuke looked at the rabbit in her hands and felt incredibly sorry for the poor thing. It looked like it had been force-fed Twinkies for the last ten days.

"So, are you going to take Sakura to the dance?" Ino asked, smiling widely. Sasuke growled, making the girl's smile slide off her face. "Sasuke?"

"Ino, you know practically everyone in our school, right?" Sasuke bit out. Ino nodded slowly, unsure of what he was getting at. "Good. Tell everyone that Sakura's a no good, lying bitch. There's nothing between me and her! I'm not interested in her and I _never_ will be! She must stop spreading rumours about us because there is no _us_!" he almost yelled the last bit in her face and barely managed to restrain himself as it was. Ino looked pale and shocked, but she nodded slowly, backing away from him just as Naruto walked out from the offices. Kyuubi was held in his arms, a bandage wrapped around the cat's paw.

Sasuke turned to Naruto immediately, his expression becoming soft again as he walked over. "How is he?"

Naruto sighed, nuzzling Kyuubi's head and listening to the cat purr in response. "He's got stitches, but the doc says that he'll heal fine. He just needs to stay off the leg, but apparently he'll know that himself. He usually just sleeps all day anyway," he smiled as he finished and Kyuubi's tail slid across his face as if chiding him for saying such things.

Sasuke smiled, using his index finger to scratch behind the feline's ear. Kyuubi's purring increased and he tilted his head, trying to nuzzle Sasuke's finger. Naruto couldn't help but smile, reminded of the times before the whole Sakura mess where the two of them would curl up on the couch and play video games while Kyuubi lay between them, sometimes batting at their controllers as if to tell them 'SHOOT THAT ONE' or 'OH MY GOSH YOU SUCK AT THIS GAME' or some other scathing remark that would just suit the orange and red tabby.

"Come on, let's go home," Sasuke said, leading them out. He pressed his hand to Naruto's back to usher him out, and let his touch linger.

Ino was watching the interaction with wide eyes, pieces clicking into place in her mind and she squeezed her rabbit tightly, clutching it to her chest to whisper into its ear.

"Do you see what I see, Chouji Jnr.?" she mumbled, a red flush spiking across her cheeks. In her awe, she missed the way her rabbit's eyes bulged slightly and the way it squirmed in her grip before going limp, giving up on a fruitless attempt to escape from the girl's clutches.

* * *

><p>Naruto climbed out of the car, noticing the way that people had started turning on their lights. He couldn't believe he missed all the Halloween decorations already set up on his way to the convenience store, but then again he had been half asleep then. The houses that lined their street were covered in decorations.<p>

Skeletons were propped up by doors, gravestones were popping out the ground, ghostly hands were hanging from mailboxes, and fake bats were blowing in the wind and chiming as they collided. There were ghostly moans and creepy music coming from so many of the houses Naruto was sure he wasn't going to sleep easy tonight. He'd always been creeped out by ghosts and Halloween was no different. As much as he loved the kids, he still got creeped out and went to bed early. Usually he would just curl up with Sasuke and fall right asleep, but as it was...he didn't think he was going to be curling up to anyone tonight.

A breeze blew through the streets, dragging several scattering leaves across the tarmac road. The colours of the dying trees only added to the spooky effects that belonged solely to the night that was Halloween. A dead leaf scratched along the road and caught his shoe, fluttering against the rubber sides. Naruto looked down at it, and the leaf suddenly detached from his shoe, whirling through the air and floating towards their house. As he watched its progress towards the roof, a cold sensation washed over him and he shivered, hugging himself and feeling his skin prickle with goose bumps.

'_What the hell?_' he thought, rubbing his arms. He heard a soft curse from behind him and turned, seeing Sasuke struggling to close the car door. Kyuubi was hanging on his shoulder, the cat watching his moves with contempt in his eyes. Naruto wanted to laugh when Sasuke failed to properly close the loose door for the third time, his hair starting to spring out as it always did when he got frustrated and flustered.

"Stupid door!" he grunted, slamming it shut. It stayed in place and he stepped back, letting out a triumphant laugh.

The door clicked and swung open with a loud creak.

"Motherfu—"

"Oh for the love of ramen, just go inside!" Naruto huffed, walking around and easing the door closed. He pressed up against it, forcing his weight to close it until he heard a soft click. He stepped away and the door remained closed, no indications that it would open in sight.

Dusting his hands off, he sent a smug grin to Sasuke who grumbled under his breath while Kyuubi's tail flickered happily behind him.

They walked up to the front door, hearing the calls of children from down the street and indicating that trick or treating had already started since the sun was going to go down in a few minutes.

"It's a pity I didn't remember it was Halloween. I would've offered to take Konohamaru and the other kids trick-or-treating," Naruto mumbled as he unlocked the door. He turned and grabbed Kyuubi, cradling the spoiled pet in his arms as Sasuke closed the door behind them.

"Oh, are you guys back?" Kiba called, and they could hear him playing with Akamaru in the other room. Walking through they saw him holding a bone above his head while the great white dog danced around his feet, yapping and whining for the treat as his tongue lolled around crazily and slobber speckled the floor.

"Ew, your beast is drooling on the floor," Naruto said, his nose scrunching up. Kiba just laughed and finally relinquished the treat, watching as Akamaru almost broke it in half with how viciously he began to gnaw on it.

"So, how is the devil?" Kiba asked, looking at Kyuubi. "Is he going to live?"

"Yep," Naruto said cheerfully and Kiba put on a face of disappointment.

"Dammit, and I even gave an offering at the wishing well!" he said in mock frustration. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, kicking his shin. Kiba hopped around on his good leg, cursing the blond's existence and moving away from him to avoid any more damage to his limbs. "You ass!"

Naruto just moved to sit down, cradling Kyuubi in his hands and stroking the soft fur. Sasuke sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around the blond's shoulders. Naruto turned to stare at him blankly and Sasuke withered slightly, retracting his arm and curling in on himself in rejection while Naruto turned to look ahead again.

Kiba watched the interaction and sighed to himself. Naruto had some serious trust issues. But then again, considering his screwed up childhood with a bunch of caretakers that broke his trust and abused and abandoned him, he couldn't blame the guy for having issues. He thought back to the day when his mother had come home, dragging a frightened blond boy along with her. Kiba had only been eleven at the time, and at first he was reluctant to have a brother. He believed that his mother and his older sister were all the family he needed and he didn't trust the new kid.

But one night he had been going to take a leak and he'd walked past Naruto's room only to hear a strange sound. When he snuck a peek, it was to see Naruto sitting in a corner, face buried in his hands as he tried not to sob very hard. Kiba had swallowed heavily at the sight, remembering that he'd done the same thing when his dad had first left. He'd never wanted to feel that kind of pain again, and seeing it reflected on the blond in his home and brought it back and tugged at his heartstrings. Kiba knew that no one should have to go through that sort of pain.

And so, little Kiba had walked straight into the room and sat down beside the sobbing blond, not saying a word and just giving him a one armed hug.

The next day, the two were practically joined at the hip.

Now Kiba was watching as his adopted brother went through more pain and it made him angry at Sasuke and Sakura...but he was also angry at Naruto. Kiba knew very well that Sasuke was innocent, and that Sakura was spreading rumours because that's what she did. But he thought that Sasuke could've done something about it sooner. He could've asked for a partner change, or publicly told Sakura to piss off. But he didn't and that's what stemmed Naruto's irrational fears of betrayal.

Sighing to himself, he rubbed his nose and winced when his finger nail caught the band aid on his face. Naruto saw the action and turned to face him fully.

"Hey, what happened to your face?" he asked, motioning to the covering. Kiba rubbed the spot, looking sheepish.

"Ah yeah. When I was putting that creepy doll thing in the attic one of the claw things nicked me. It was weird because I swear they weren't near my face, but whatever," he shrugged and Naruto chuckled. "It was really creepy though, especially since it has that creepy as grin on its face," Kiba continued.

Both Sasuke and Naruto turned around to face him, eyebrows rising in confusion. "What creepy smile?" Naruto asked. Kiba looked at him, waving his hand to recall the memory.

"You know, the stitched grin on the doll. It was all wide and evil looking," he said dismissively. Sasuke furrowed his brows.

"Kiba, the doll wasn't smiling when we opened it. It was a straight line," he said slowly, recalling the item with ease.

Kiba blinked before shaking his head. "Stop playing man, that thing had a huge grin on its face when I put it up there!" he said in irritation. He didn't like the joke they were making.

Naruto gently put Kyuubi down and stood up. "No, seriously Kiba, I remember! It wasn't smiling!"

Kiba stomped his foot, the setting sunlight washing through the window and gliding over his skin. "Look, I'll prove it to you! The doll was smiling!" he snapped, turning to head towards the stairs. Naruto rolled his eyes and followed as Sasuke stood up too. The three of them made their way up the stairs, the rapidly fading light throwing the staircase into a dim shadow.

They reached the landing and Kiba reached for the latch. He pulled it open and a loud rattle made all three of them jump as the ladder clattered to the floor, barely missing Kiba's foot as he jumped back.

They stared at the ladder and Kiba swallowed. "Shit, I was sure I put the ladder back properly!" he mumbled, fixing the metal structure firmly on the floor. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged nervous looks, not liking Kiba's strangely forgetful nature.

Outside the sun was falling behind the trees and houses, casting the red glow of dying light upon the neighbourhood. A crow screeched outside, fluttering its black wings and training its beady eyes on their house. Dead leaves scraped along the road with the cold breeze of October air.

Kiba slowly climbed up the ladder, sticking his head into the attic area. He reached up, fumbling to find the low hanging light switch. When he found it, he yanked and heard another rattle before the chain fell loosely onto his head. He cursed loudly.

"The chain broke!" he called down and Sasuke sighed while Naruto stared in confusion.

"This is just getting weird," he murmured and Sasuke nodded as he walked to one of the rooms in search of a flashlight. He found one and walked back out to the others.

"Here Kiba," he said, holding up the item. Kiba snatched it and stuck his head back in. He raised the flashlight, clicking it on and shining it around. His lips pulled down into a nervous frown when he couldn't locate the doll.

"What the hell?" he mumbled. "Guys, do we have rats?" he asked.

"No," Naruto called back.

Kiba frowned even more, mentally scratching out the option of rats having dragged the doll to a darker corner and made it a nest. He continued to look around, wondering if perhaps the spiders had united and dragged the doll away to use it as an incubator.

He shuddered.

"Seriously Kiba, what's taking so long?" Sasuke asked grumpily. He was getting tired of standing here and looking at Kiba's ass wiggle around as he moved on the ladder. Naruto stood right by the ladder, one hand holding it steady as he peered upwards. Sasuke looked away from Kiba and found a sight much more tolerable: Naruto's ass. He smirked and decided he could wait a bit more.

Kiba scratched at his head, honestly confused as to what happened to the doll. There was no way Kyuubi had somehow gotten it, and there was nowhere else it could be.

"How odd," he mumbled, sweeping the dirty room with the flashlight. A noise made him pause and he strained his ears to hear. It sounded like sand shifting, followed by a metallic scratching sound.

Chills ran down his spine and he aimed the flashlight to where he'd heard the noise. It faded into blackness and he couldn't see all the way. The shifting noise came again, the same metallic scratching soon following after. Kiba swallowed, narrowing his eyes to try and see better.

"What the hell is that?" he whispered, trying to see the cause of the noise that was, in all honesty, creeping him out!

"Kiba? What's up?" Naruto called, tapping his foot. "Forget about the doll, it doesn't matter."

Kiba was perfectly happy to get out of the attic, and so he leant back, pulling the flashlight up to switch it off.

There was an inhuman shriek and something large and dark shot towards him. Kiba screamed as it started to attack his face, crawling all over him. He felt soft, yet rough skin rubbing over his cheeks and he batted wildly. Something sharp sunk into his arm and he screamed even louder, pain dripping into his voice like the blood that dripped down his arm and wrist.

"Kiba!" Naruto and Sasuke were both tugging on his legs, and Kiba let out a yell of agony as he felt another sharp claw slice across his shoulder just before he fell off the ladder.

The two below him were unprepared for his sudden drop and they all tumbled to the ground in a pained heap. Naruto sat up and gasped as he saw the blood.

"Holy shit! Kiba!" he leaned over the brunet, staring at the deep gashes along his arm and shoulder. "What the fuck happened man?"

Sasuke cursed as he scrambled to his feet, helping Naruto pull Kiba up. Together they half carried the trembling, whimpering boy down the stairs and into a bathroom. Sasuke tore open the cupboard doors, grabbing their first aid kit and tugging it open.

"Move," he ordered and Naruto stepped to the side, letting Sasuke start wiping away the blood and bandage up his brother.

"Fuck, ouch!" Kiba yelped as Sasuke tended to his arm.

"What was that Kiba?" Sasuke asked, staring wide-eyed at the gashes. It looked like they had been made with a meat cleaver!

Kiba groaned in pain, pressing a hand to his shoulder and wincing at the pain. "I don't know! I think it might have been a rat or something...shit I don't even know! It didn't sound or feel like anything I've ever heard of before!" he said, hands shaking as he recalled the sound it made. "I couldn't find the doll...it wasn't there," he added.

Naruto shivered. "That's not funny Kiba! It was probably just...in a corner or something. We must have rats, and they dragged it away and one of them went all monster-rat on you," he said shakily.

"No rat could've made those scratches," Sasuke said softly, placing the last bandage on. Kiba shuddered in pain, pressing a hand to the wounds and wincing at the stinging sensation. Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, seeing the wide blue eyes staring at him from the distant light of a street lamp outside. Night had fallen and soon children would be trick or treating along their streets, the spirit of Halloween really kicking in.

"W-well if it wasn't a rat then what the hell was it?" Naruto asked snappishly, but the other two knew to excuse him for his attitude. It was a well-known fact between them how much Naruto hated scary things like ghosts and how easily freaked out he could get when faced with things that weren't easily explained. Anger and defensive wording were his automatic response to cover up the fear.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out," Sasuke said, standing up. Naruto seemed to freeze up as Sasuke went for the door before involuntarily reaching out and snagging Sasuke's arm in his hand. The raven stopped, looking down at the contact in surprise. Naruto was staring at his feet, looking unsure and uncomfortable. He didn't make eye contact, instead looking towards Kiba.

"Just...be careful, you idiot. Don't do anything stupid," he muttered, trying to play off his concern with an insult. Sasuke blinked before smiling. He grasped Naruto's hand and pulled it off his arm, bringing it to his mouth to kiss the back gently. Naruto looked irritated, but it only fuelled Sasuke's amusement as he returned the limb.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he said and Naruto gave a short nod, turning away to help Kiba to his feet.

"I'm going to get him some pain killers," he mumbled and Sasuke nodded. As he left for the stairs, the other two went towards the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Sasuke approached the bottom of the stairs cautiously, trying to peer up into the darkness to see if there was anything obviously waiting for him. But the lack of light had thrown the entire upstairs into dim shadow and even his good eyesight couldn't make out more than a few vague and wavering outlines. Clenching his fist, he looked around and spotted the flashlight. It must have rolled down the stairs. He picked it up and clicked it on, cursing when nothing happened. Shaking it a bit, the light suddenly flickered in his eyes and he pointed it away, trying to blink away the blinding spots. Once his vision was cleared he aimed the torch upstairs, still not seeing much in the dull beam of light.<p>

He took a step forward, taking the first step and freezing when it creaked under his foot. Their stairs were rather creaky, but given the strange situation at hand, it seemed to be ominous and foreboding. Sasuke shook his head, trying to discard the silly thoughts. It was just because it was Halloween. Whatever attacked Kiba was obviously some kind of animal that found its way into their attic. Maybe it was a stray cat that had found an opening in the roof and climbed in.

Although, Kyuubi would've found it and they would've heard the cats fighting instantly.

Maybe it was a bat?

He kept trying to think of things it could be as he walked up the stairs slowly, taking each step with caution as if it would crumble beneath his foot.

When he reached the landing he was no closer to guessing what the creature was than Naruto or Kiba, so he sighed and decided he would just have to see what it was.

He stepped forward, shining the light up at the open attic hatch. He couldn't see anything but not wanting to chance having the thing come flying out from the top, he quickly closed the hatch and latched it. Then he started to look around the floor, seeing it there were any marks. Smears of Kiba's blood could be seen and he swallowed back nausea. It was horrible to see the blood of someone you knew smeared on the floor like it belonged in a crime scene. He was about to turn away when something strange caught his eye.

"What the..."

The blood smears trailed off, as if something had fallen into them and then dragged itself away. Sasuke would've dismissed it as Kiba's shoe, or his or Naruto's when they carried him, but...the blood led _away_ from the stairs. He felt a bead of sweat trail down his forehead as he shined the light on the trail, cursing at the fact that they didn't have an upstairs landing light. Throwing a nervous glance to the stairs, he gathered his nerve and started to follow the faint blood trail down the hall. It didn't go very far before veering off into one of the store rooms. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he pushed open the door, shining the light into the space. There were a few random pieces of furniture, mainly things that Kiba and Naruto had ended up buying online because they were real suckers for advertisements. Shaking his head at the memory, Sasuke took a step inside and reached to the fall for the light switch.

He slid his hand over the wall only to give a short yell of pain when he felt an electric jolt slice through his hand briefly before he yanked it away. Panting from the sudden shock, he shined his light on the wall and saw the whole switch fixture had been torn off, leaving two sparking wires protruding from a hole.

No rat could do that.

Apprehension was creeping up on him like the shadows crept up with the rising of the moon, and Sasuke felt himself taking a step back towards the door. He got to the doorway, still peering into the room when a shape blacker than the darkness of the room suddenly moved in his vision. He jumped, whipping the flashlight to the spot in time to see something ruddy-orange dart behind one of the random furniture items. His nose scrunched up and then he sighed heavily.

"Kyuubi! What are you doing up here, you stupid cat?" he said, walking into the room with confidence now. He concluded that the cat must've snuck upstairs while they were in the bathroom and was the cause for the blood smears. Whatever had attacked Kiba was probably still hiding in the attic, more scared of them than they were of it.

He stepped further into the room, no longer cautious with his steps as he approached the area.

"Come on Kyuubi, let's go," he called, bending down slightly and shining the light on the box that proudly declared the name of some food slicing machine. "Kyuu—"

A soft 'meow' from behind him made his head snap around, looking over his shoulder and shining the light to see Kyuubi standing in the doorway, his bandaged paw held gingerly up as he stared at the raven curiously.

Sasuke felt himself pale and the cold sensation of dread filled his stomach. Kyuubi's head suddenly twitched, the shining eyes flicking to something over his shoulder and then the feline's mouth opened wide in a venomous and frightened hiss. Kyuubi's fur stood on end, his tail snapping straight up as he spat and snarled at something that Sasuke couldn't muster the courage to face yet.

A sound, like sand being poured around in a bag was then followed by a metallic clanking, and Sasuke felt each 'thunk' of metal on wood resonate deeply in his chest, echoing his slowly increasing heartbeat.

With Kyuubi's fierce hissing fading in his ears as his heavy breathing filled his mind, he slowly turned his head forward again.

Glowing green orbs were glaring straight at him and a wicked smile of broken thread, revealing the carved innards of a pumpkin with sharpened teeth suddenly loomed in his face. Sasuke couldn't even make a sound before the creature was upon him, and he saw the glimmering blades slicing towards his neck.

Instinct kicked in and he pushed back, skidding across the floor and tumbling over once as the flashlight flew from his grip and smashed a few feet away. The harsh crunch of metal stabbing into wood alerted him to his brief interval of escape and he spun around, kicking out his feet to get standing and rushing.

He bent down, scooping up and hissing feline in his arms before barrelling out the room. He reached the landing and cried out when his foot slipped on the blood, smearing it up his leg and his hand when he tried to steady himself. Kyuubi slipped out of his hold and scampered down the stairs haphazardly, only wanting to escape from the horror that Sasuke could now hear following him.

"Oh shit! Oh shit!" he cursed, propelling himself forward and almost falling down the stairs in his haste to get away from the oncoming horror. He slammed down the stairs and tripped on the last one, falling forward and rolling.

"Sasuke!" Naruto came rushing around the corner, eyes wide as he saw Sasuke struggling to his feet.

"Go! Get in the kitchen!" Sasuke cried, hearing something thudding down the stairs and panicking. He climbed to his feet and started to shove Naruto back towards the kitchen. "Kyuubi! Akamaru!" he called frantically, wanting to get the pets to safety too.

The white dog came trotting down the hall, having been resting in Kiba's bedroom. Sasuke pointed to the kitchen. "Inside!" he ordered and the dog yipped as it hurried into the kitchen, tail wagging. Kyuubi slunk through the doorway, hissing back at Sasuke as he limped.

"Sasuke, what the hell's going on?" Naruto asked loudly, wincing when Sasuke gave him a hard push towards the kitchen.

"No time to explain, just go—FUCK!" Sasuke cried out when something smashed against the back of his head. Naruto caught him as he started to fall forwards and his blue eyes saw straight over Sasuke's shoulder.

At the edge of the hallway, hanging on the side of the coat rack, was the doll they had received. It's clawed hand was stabbing through the material of Kiba's jacket as it swung wildly, and a demonic cackling was echoing from the gaping mouth. The green orbs that were its eyes swivelled under their glass covering before focusing on Naruto and the other clawed hand swung upwards, slicing through another wooden peg. It caught the solid piece and suddenly swung its whole body, throwing the object right at them.

Naruto yelled out, pulling Sasuke backwards into the kitchen and kicking the door shut just as the peg slammed against it.

As soon as they were inside Naruto dropped Sasuke, leaving him to stand on his own as he clutched the back of his head. He slid the small and useless latch into place on the door before pressing his back to it and staring at the other two with wild eyes.

"What the fuck was _that_?_!_" he yelled, voice cracking in his panic.

Sasuke hissed as he pulled his hand back, thankful to see there was no blood from whatever the creature threw at him. He pressed his hand back over the bump, trying to stop the aching pain and the rapidly oncoming headache from making his brain melt.

"I...shit, I don't know. It's that doll thing but..." he trailed off, the obviously unneeded words hanging in the air.

_But it's alive and trying to kill us._

Kiba was leaning against the counter, face pale as he looked towards the door. Akamaru was sitting at his feet, whining softly. The peaceful canine could tell that something was very wrong now and he wondered what was making his master and friends so scared. Kyuubi was lying on the windowsill, tail curled up to him as he licked at his bandaged paw, reddish eyes sharp and flickering to the door whenever the sound of movement reached his ears.

"What are we going to do?" Kiba asked softly, gaining the attention of the other two. "I mean...I would say let's just go kick it or something but...fuck, that thing's fast and vicious. Not to mention that my balls shrivelled up the moment you confirmed that we have a living, breathing, homicidal pumpkin doll in our house!" he finished shrilly, waving his hands.

"Don't say that!" Naruto squeaked, covering his ears. "There's got to be a reasonable explanation for this! Maybe it's a prank! M-Maybe Gaara and Kankurou are like, pulling another prank this year!" he said, looking up hopefully.

"Even they wouldn't do this!" Sasuke snapped, pointing to Kiba's shoulder. "Whatever the hell that thing is, it's out to hurt us!"

Naruto shook his head, not wanting to accept the fact that there really was a demonic doll trying to get them. "You're just cra—"

The sound of a blade stabbing through wood and flesh met their ears and Naruto stopped talking, his eyes widening.

Sasuke and Kiba straightened, their eyes trained on him and the doorway.

Suddenly Naruto fell to his knees and they saw the tip of a bloodied blade sliding back through the wood.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke lunged forward, catching the blond before he could fall and pulling him into his arms. He pressed his hand to his back and felt the stab wound. It wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding badly and undoubtedly Naruto was in a bit of shock at the pain.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Kiba asked frantically, tearing out a drawer to search for a bandage.

Naruto shivered as a wave of pain spiked through from starting from his lower back and he grit his teeth tightly, fighting off any sounds of discomfort when Sasuke started to pull his shirt up to assess the wound.

"Bloody hell, Kiba hand me a dishtowel!" the raven ordered and Kiba threw him the requested object before continuing his search for something to use to bandage the wound. Sasuke pressed the cloth over the injury and ran his other hand through Naruto's hair, guiding his head to rest in the crook of his neck.

"W-What're we going t-to do?" Naruto groaned. "T-that thing is going to get in here eventually."

"We need to get out of the house for a start," Sasuke replied, holding out his hand when Kiba finally found some tape. With the brunet's help, he folded the towel over Naruto's injury and taped it to him to keep it there before sliding down his shirt and holding him tightly. "After that we need to get help—"

"From who?" Kiba interrupted. "Who'd believe us? Yes, let's go to Mrs. Jones across the street and say 'please call the cops because there is a demonic doll from hell that's trying to slice us into pieces!'" he said mockingly before scoffing. "She already thinks I'm insane because I took Akamaru for a walk in my boxers last week, she's not going to let us past her porch railing let alone offer help!"

"Well then we go to Gaara or Neji!" Sasuke snapped. "Even if they don't believe us, we have to find help from someone!"

There was a crack before the bottom left corner of the door broke away and a clawed hand shot through. The blades clanged against the tile kitchen floor and screeched as they were withdrawn even as more of the door was slashed at and broken away to reveal a leering pumpkin face and glowing green orbs.

"Shit! Run!" Kiba yelped, shooting to his feet and hauling the other two up with him. They scrambled for the other kitchen entrance, hearing the hole in the door finally widen enough for the doll to crawl in. An evil cackle reached their ears and Sasuke turned his head to see the monster soaring through the air towards them. His eyes bulged as he realized it was going to catch them before they could get away.

A vicious bark ripped through the panicked air and in a blur of white fur and slobber, Akamaru jumped through the air and snagged the doll in his jaw, teeth sinking into the rough exterior. There was an echoing howl of pain from the thing as Akamaru began to shake his head violently, his vicious growling only outdone by the noise of the doll.

"Good boy Akamaru!" Kiba yelled even as Sasuke shoved him out the kitchen.

They reached the living room and Naruto snatched the phone up with shaking hands, trying to dial the police. "Even if we don't tell them what it is, we're being attacked by something and they need to help us!" he reasoned hurriedly.

Kiba's head snapped up when he heard a pained yelp from the kitchen. "Akamaru!"

"No don't!" Sasuke grabbed Kiba, holding him back to stop him from running into the kitchen. "Kiba!"

"Let me go Sasuke! That's my dog in there!" Kiba yelled, struggling against the raven's hold despite the pain it caused to flare up in his shoulder and arm. "Akamaru!"

"You guys," Naruto called, eyes wide as he stared at them. "...T-the phone lines have been cut!"

"What? Not possible!" Sasuke snapped, still trying to restrain Kiba. "There's no way that thing had enough time to cut the lines yet!"

"Akamaru!"

"Let's get out of here!" Naruto said, turning to run for the front door. Sasuke nodded, dragging Kiba with him.

"AKAMARU!"

There was a weak bark in response from the kitchen and Kiba renewed his struggles.

"No! Kiba, dammit, he's alive! We need to get help to kill that thing and then we can safely take care of Akamaru!" Sasuke snapped, harshly pulling the boy towards the door. Kiba looked ready to cry as he finally stopped fighting and let himself be dragged away.

"If he dies, I'm going to kill you Sasuke! I'll kill you with my bare hands!" he promised angrily and Sasuke nodded.

They made a mad dash for the front door and Naruto was the first to reach it. He grabbed the handle and tugged, darting forwards.

Only to smash into the unopened door.

"Fuck!" he cursed, gripping his face. He stared at the door in horror as he tugged on the handle. "Why won't it open?"

"Move!" Sasuke pushed him out the way and started to tug on the door. He kicked it, punched it and pulled on it with all his might but it wouldn't budge. "Goddammit!" he slammed his head against it in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut. "Someone locked us in!"

"What the hell do you mean someone locked us in?" Kiba cried. "Are you saying that someone is trying to kill us by locking us in with that fucking monster?"

Sasuke turned, eyes darting around wildly. They could hear scratching from somewhere else in the house and that eerie cackle from the doll. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly there was the sound of electricity sparking before the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

The three of them stood by the front door, eyes wide and horrified as they realized that their power had just been cut.

"Oh my God," Naruto moaned, covering his face with his hands. "We're going to die...we're going to get torn to shreds!"

"Shut up! We're not going to die dammit!" Sasuke snapped, his voice shaking as he reached out and pulled Naruto to his chest. "I won't let us die like this..."

"You guys," Kiba started, "look over there!"

He pointed over to a window where the moonlight was shining through, giving them a faint silver light. Written on the window amidst steam and fog, was a message.

_The power to fight is the power to win._

_Heed my warning and fight the darkness within._

_At sunrise tomorrow your lives will begin._

_As long as you survive the Curse of Pumpkin Skin._

* * *

><p><strong>... *bursts into evil laughter* AHAAHAHAHAAHA! <strong>

**Oh dear, what will they do now? :3**

**Look forward to the third and final part, coming later this evening! (Maybe around seven, eight or nine my time. :) )**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Until Sunrise

**Final part...And shit gets CRAZY here. XD For all who thought it couldn't get any worse...you're all wrong. :3**

**Warnings: Same as last chapter...oh and... There's death here. :3 *dances around, laughing cheerfully while avoiding deadly objects being thrown at her***

**Disclaimer: Same as last chapter. ^_^**

* * *

><p><strong>The Curse of Pumpkin Skin<strong>

**_Until Sunrise_**

Kiba was panicking.

"'Survive the Curse of Pumpkin Skin'?" he read aloud, voice cracking. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It obviously means we mustn't let the doll kill us, idiot!" Sasuke hissed, eyes darting around in the darkness for signs of said creature. "The whole 'power to fight is the power to win' is pretty obvious."

"We have to fight that thing?" Naruto whispered, furrowing his brows in agitation. "How? It's pitch black in here, and that thing is fast, small, agile and armed! How are we supposed to fight it?"

"I don't know! Let me think!" Sasuke snapped, rounding on him. Naruto retreated slightly, looking around fearfully and Sasuke felt bad for snapping. They were all scared and tense and highly strung. If they started to argue amongst each other, they'd have no chance to survive.

'_Is that what it means by 'the darkness within'?_' he wondered before shaking his head. '_It doesn't matter. We need to stay alive until sunrise._'

"Sasuke!" Naruto whispered, his hand shooting out and grabbing a hold of his arm. Kiba and Sasuke froze, listening as they heard the familiar scraping sound coming from the right, near the entrance to the living room.

Naruto gulped nervously, his hand reaching back and feeling along the wall. He felt the edge of the doorframe that led to the hall and his grip on Sasuke's arm tightened.

"This way," he mumbled, and Sasuke grabbed onto Kiba's wrist so they wouldn't get separated. Edging backwards and trying to be as quiet as possible, they stepped into the hallway and Naruto led them down towards his room. "I think I have a spare flashlight in my drawer," he mumbled.

They reached his room and Sasuke kept an eye out as they opened the door and slunk inside, shutting it gently. The click of the lock sounded way too loud in the silence, and all three of them hunched slightly, eyes wide and ears perked.

When nothing came slashing through their door, they breathed a unified sigh of relief before searching through the darkened room for a flashlight.

"Wahaa!" Kiba whispered triumphantly, brandishing the flashlight and clicking the small switch and shining it on the others. "It's not very big, but it'll illuminate the dark corners!"

"That's good. Don't shine it at the door though!" Sasuke commanded softly. "If we can, we should stay in here and not let it find us, so don't let the light sweep under the door and give us away. Also, don't talk above a whisper and even then be sparing."

The others nodded and Kiba settled on the bed, holding the flashlight and occasionally giving the room a sweep over. He made sure not to shine it too low to the ground near the door. Sasuke was sitting by the door to the right, his back to the wall as he kept an ear out.

Naruto moved to sit at his desk, sighing slightly while he pressed a hand to his racing heart. This entire situation was so surreal, and he almost pinched himself in an attempt to wake up from this nightmare. However, the pain in his back let him know that this _was_ real and he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon.

He closed his eyes and let his head gently land on the table before him. He felt warmth and a soft vibration against his forehead. He lifted his head, confused, and saw it was his laptop. A small light was blinking and he gasped, sitting upright and lifting the screen up.

It lit up before dimming, and he saw that he half a quarter of battery life left before it would shut down.

"Guys! Guys, we have some time on my laptop!" he hissed, flapping his hands about in the dark.

"Really? Can we watch porn?" Kiba asked excitedly as he jumped over. He flew forwards when Sasuke smacked the back of his head harshly. "What was that for?"

"Idiot! Let's not waste the limited time we have! Naruto, is there anyone we can contact?" he asked in a hushed voice as he bent down next to the blond, faces nearly pressed together.

"I don't know...I've never heard of someone sending a 911 email before," Naruto mumbled. "And there's no one online at the moment...we can't ask them for help," he sighed heavily at the absence of friends online.

"Send someone a message anyway. Hopefully they'll come online and call the cops for us," Sasuke said. Naruto nodded and sent a short message to all his close friends. "...Go online quickly," Sasuke mumbled.

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Frowning at the tone, Naruto opened up the web browser. He grunted in annoyance when Sasuke pressed against him, stretching over to type on the keyboard. The clicking of keys was loud in the room as they crowded around the laptop. Kiba was peering over Naruto's other shoulder while Sasuke finally backed up, returning to his previous spot as the screen loaded up a page.

Naruto blinked, blue eyes taking in the information suddenly streaming onto his screen. "...The legend of Pumpkin Skin?" he read, turning to look at Sasuke.

"I want to know as much about what we're up against. If this is someone's idea of a sick prank, we'll need to find out as much as possible about how they went about it," he mumbled in reply as he started to read the page aloud.

"_The Legend of Pumpkin Skin is a centuries old story that originated from a small colony on the borders of England. The tale has been told in many different ways, using various forms and metaphors, but all result in the same, original story._

_The Legend of Pumpkin Skin refers to the story of a man named Charles Banker, who travelled through England and came across a small town that still practiced old rituals and witchcraft. Banker was a firm believer in science, and so scorned the 'magic' of the locals as he passed through. The towns were not pleased by his contempt, and so the leader of the town cast a curse upon the man. Under the guise of a parting gift, he presented Banker with a doll that was handmade from pumpkin skin, sand and stone. The doll was fashioned after a deity that the town believed watched over them and punished the wicked. It was equipped with glassy eyes and three, sharpened stone claws on each hand as well as a straight stitching line for a mouth. Banker took the doll and resumed his travels._

_When he returned home on October 30__th__ he unpacked the doll and fully examined it. Tied to the back of the doll was a small note. The note was from the town leader, who informed him that on the night of Hallows Eve, the doll would be imbued with the soul of the deity, and it would seek revenge against him for his 'sins'. Banker disregarded the note._

_According to the legend, on the night of Halloween, the doll came to life and murdered Banker after locking him in his own home and cutting off chances of escape or help. _

_Continuous re-tells of the story have spread through the world, gaining different titles and names, some including the doll to be fashioned after the receiver themselves and thus attributing to the 'Voodoo Doll' curses category. Several stories have included a relation to darkness, and there have been tales that say the curse will lift once the sun rises, regardless of whether or not the victim has died or not. _

_When dealing with the 'sins' that Pumpkin Skin judges and punishes, it has been theorized that the sins are entirely decided by the creator of the doll, and thus the curse can be and has been used for personal vendettas in past stories."_

"Well, that makes me feel so much better!" Naruto said, interrupted Sasuke's reading as he pushed away from the table. "The guy got murdered! And now we're stuck with some demonic deity who's going to punish us for our 'sins'! What sins? Who the hell would set a curse on us? What did we do wrong?" he was starting to raise his voice, his arms waving around angrily as he paced the room.

"Naruto!" Sasuke grabbed his arms, stopping him from flailing anymore and pulled him close. "Calm down!"

"Calm down? Sasuke, there's a bloody monster trying to kill us, we're locked in this house with no way out and no way to call for help, someone put a curse on us for no good reason and that fucking bitch Sakura is still an issue in my Goddamn head!" he finished with his hands against his mouth to muffle his angry screaming. Sasuke stood in front of him, eyes sad and unsure of what he could say to make the situation any better. Naruto was right about almost everything but for Sakura being an issue. But of course the blond was still in turmoil over that. No matter what he said, Sasuke wasn't going to be able to put his mind at ease until he confronted Sakura head on and told her to piss off.

"Naruto...Baby, please just calm down," he said, wrapping his arms around Naruto's shoulder. He felt him struggle a bit against the hug but kept his hold firm. "I know that you're scared. I'm scared too. Hell, we're all freaking out over this whole situation. And I know that you won't believe me when I say that Haruno is nothing to worry about, but I promise I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you!"

There was silence but for their breathing and the soft echoes of cheery children trick-or-treating outside. Then Naruto snorted softly.

"Asshole...I'm not a little girl," he mumbled, resting his head on Sasuke's chest. Sasuke smiled in the darkness while Kiba looked on with a half-smile, glad that they were at least on speaking and touching terms now.

* * *

><p>A crash made them jump and they turned to face the door. Sounds of movement could be heard in the hallway before there was a scratching sound.<p>

Kiba backed away, staring at the door with wide eyes as Naruto pulled Sasuke closer.

A meow sounded from the other side, followed by more scratching.

"It's Kyuubi!" Naruto hissed, breaking out of Sasuke's hold and rushing to the door. "He must've smelled us out!"

"Let him in before he attracts the creature!" Sasuke whispered and Kiba looked at him in outrage.

"Oh sure, you save the cat but not Akamaru!" he snapped angrily as Naruto went to the door. Sasuke ignored him, standing right behind Naruto to keep an eye out. The blond opened the door slowly and a shadow slinked inside immediately. Kiba shone the light on the newcomer as Naruto shut the door and Kyuubi mewled at the brightness, turning his head away grumpily.

"Oh boy, you're okay!" Naruto cooed, pulling the cat towards him and hugging him close. Kiba looked away, his eyes sliding closed as he thought of Akamaru. He prayed that his faithful dog was alright and unharmed. Turning back, he watched as Naruto cradled the feline in his arms and Kyuubi turned his head now that the light was gone, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"Get away from him!" Kiba yelled hoarsely, pointing the flashlight directly at Kyuubi. The cat hissed angrily, jumping from Naruto's arm and landing on the windowsill.

"Kyuu! Kiba, what the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto snapped.

"Don't go near him!" Kiba demanded, pulling Naruto back. Sasuke stared at him incredulously.

"Kiba, what are you talking about?" he hissed. "And stop talking so loudly!"

"It's not Kyuubi!" Kiba snapped back, eyes trained on the cat now slinking across the windowsill and onto the table.

"What are you talking about Kiba?" Naruto growled. "I know you're worried about Akamaru, but don't start hating on my pet just because—"

"No, it's not Kyuubi! Look at its eyes!" Kiba roared, pointing at the cat.

The other two turned their heads and froze solid when they were met with glowing green eyes. The cat suddenly smiled, pointed teeth poke out as the fur started to retract on its body and its sharp nails started to elongate and change into metal.

"Oh my God," Naruto whimpered, backing away as slowly, the doll stood up on thick, stumpy legs and leered over at them. It cackled evilly, a clawed hand rising up and the blades glinted in the moonlight.

The three boys backed up, eyes bulging in fear as the doll cackled again. It took a step forward and Sasuke reacted.

"Run!" he yelled, as he grabbed the blanket and threw it towards the creature. It covered the doll and immediately the sound of material ripping filled the air as it struggled against the covering. They fled from the room, running down the hall and into the kitchen again.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, looking around for his pet. There was a thin trail of blood that led out of the kitchen, and his eyes watered as he imagined the worst. He followed the trail with the flashlight and saw that it led out into the hall. Kiba didn't wait, walking quickly down the hall even as the other two hissed to each other about where to go next. The brunet ignored them, following the trail and stopping when it led to his room. He pushed open the door, sweeping the flashlight around. His canine companion was nowhere to be found.

Kiba clutched at his head, a tear leaking down the side of his face. '_What happened to you Akamaru?_' he thought in sorrow.

"It's coming!" Naruto whispered frantically, hearing the thudding of the doll as it hobbled closer. Sasuke looked around in the dark room frantically, trying to come up with a plan. Kiba bit his lip, looking at the flashlight in his hand.

"That thing...it couldn't look at the light directly," he mumbled slowly. There was a screeching of metal against metal and he looked up to see the doorknob jiggle violently before it fell away completely.

Sasuke saw the shadow moving before he felt something collide with his head. Screaming out, he reached his arms up to try and defend himself from the attacker. He could hear Naruto yelling and Kiba joining in but the feeling of rough skin against his face made his heart sky-rocket into a panicked frenzy of beats. His hair was being tugged and he felt small scratches starting to adorn his skin as he fought against the doll.

Suddenly his head was yanked upwards, revealing his neck in a vulnerable position and he heard Naruto screaming his name when he felt a blade move across his skin. His eyes were wide as he realized the doll was going to slit his throat, right there in front of Naruto and Kiba and he prayed that the two of them would make it out of here alive.

Then a light was blinding him and he wondered if he was dead. But the screaming continued and he felt the weight of the demon vanishing as an inhuman cry filled the air. He was tugged forwards and dragged away, barely aware of what was going on as his hand went to his throat, feeling the shallow cut and the droplets of blood that oozed out. He pressed his hand over the wound and started to suck in deep breaths, reminding himself that he wasn't dead yet.

They were running down the hall and then he was pulled into the front hall. Kiba was slamming himself against the front door, grunting with effort.

"Dammit, OPEN!" he roared, kicking it but the door didn't budge.

"Sasuke!" Naruto was holding his face, staring at him. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sasuke blinked rapidly, getting over the shock of his near-death encounter. He sucked in a shuddering breath and lunged forwards, enveloping Naruto into a bone-crushing hold as he pressed his face further into his neck.

They didn't need to talk to know what was being thought. Sasuke was scared. He had almost been killed a moment ago and he was clinging to Naruto to keep him grounded. Naruto was scared too. Seeing Sasuke's face as the demon started to slice his throat had been like something from the deepest, darkest nightmare in his heart. He had felt as if he was dying too and it was all thanks to Kiba that the two of them could stand in each other's arms at all.

In a move of quick thinking, Kiba had turned the flashlight directly onto the doll's face and it had squirmed away from the light with a scream.

"I love you," Sasuke breathed, squeezing Naruto closer even as Kiba gave up on the door with a final kick and a loud curse. Naruto tensed in his arms and he felt the shaky breath against his ear before he felt the blond hugging him back.

"...I love you too."

Sasuke wanted to cry.

"Keep moving!" Kiba ordered, turning and ushering them away from the door. "That's all we can do for now is to keep running around the house and stay out of its reach!"

They bolted through the hall, looking every which way for the doll. A thumping sound could be heard and Naruto looked over his shoulder towards the ceiling, his eyes bulging and a frightened yell tearing out of his throat when he saw the doll swinging along the roof, using its claws as hooks to keep it up there. It snarled at him and lunged down. Naruto spun on his heel, jumping backwards and pushing the others out of the way as he narrowly avoided the creature. It slashed through the air, turning its devil eyes onto Naruto. With a screech it lunged again and Naruto fell backwards as he moved to avoid it.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke rushed forwards, grabbing onto Naruto's arm and tugging him up and out of the way when the doll made another slash towards him. It cackled evilly and jumped up onto the wall, scurrying up it like a spider and reaching the roof. Its head jerkily turned right around, pinning the two of them with its stare as the seams of the mouth split further and the grin widened. More pointed teeth could be seen as it stared them down.

Naruto trembled as he stared up at the demonic creature, fear coursing through his veins like the blood that ran in his body. He could feel Sasuke's heat beside him, and the faint shivers of his hands as they held his arm in a death grip.

A light flashed on the creature, making it hiss and scurry away.

"What the hell are you guys doing? Move it!" Kiba snapped, following the doll with the light to keep it away. Sasuke broke out of his fearful stupor and pulled Naruto along with him as they started down the hall again. They reached the bathroom and Kiba pulled them in, shutting the door. "We'll hole up here for a bit longer," he mumbled, clicking the lock.

Naruto and Sasuke sat by the bathtub, catching their breath. Sasuke rubbed his throat, wincing when he abused the cut slightly and he pulled his hand away to look at the blood drops. A hand covered his own and he looked up to see Naruto watching him with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting Sasuke," he whispered and Sasuke shook his head.

"No, don't," he commanded. "Don't talk like this is our last night...We're going to survive this! And you don't need to say sorry...I know why you've been this way. I'm sorry too, for not just changing science partners and putting an end to it sooner," he mumbled. Naruto shook his head as well.

"It was stupid of me to expect that. I know that you've got a short time limit for this project. Changing partners would've held you back. I just...—"

"Guys!" Kiba interrupted and they turned to him. "Enough with the mushy bullshit! You're both sorry, you both love each other, and you both want to live to see the next day!" he summarized. "Now shut up and listen!"

They did as told, sharing awkward glances at the fact that Kiba had spoken to them like children, and perked their eyes.

Faintly, a voice was calling out.

"Hello? Is anyone home? This is Officer Umino here!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Someone called the cops for us!"

Sasuke nodded excitedly and was about to speak when the sound of wood splintering met their ears. All boys screamed out when the doll burst into the bathroom and in a mad scramble they ran out of the room. Kiba screamed loudly when he felt something snag his ankle and he fell forwards. The flashlight flew from his hands and smashed against the opposite wall, plunging them all into darkness.

* * *

><p>Police Officer Iruka Umino had been relaxing in the station with a mug of coffee. Although he wished he could've taken his nephew trick-or-treating there weren't all too many officers on duty tonight and he'd had to come in. Luckily he wasn't suffering alone.<p>

"What, no coffee for me?" his partner Mizuki said grumpily as he slid into a seat. Iruka's lips tilted in a smile as he took a long, drawn out sip of his beverage and sighed in happiness.

"Heavenly!" he said appreciatively and licked his lips. Mizuki scowled.

"Suck my ass," he grumbled and Iruka laughed.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't resist," he said lightly and Mizuki shook his head with a smirk. "Say, weren't you going to a part with Tsubaki tonight?"

Mizuki sighed, resting his face in his hands. "I was supposed to but then I got called in. Tsubaki went ahead and I'm stuck doing paperwork and licking stamps for the Chief," he said forlornly, sending a dirty look over to the office door of their Police Chief Kakashi Hatake. Iruka chuckled sympathetically, clapping his partner on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you and Tsubaki will find other ways to celebrate the holiday."

Mizuki smirked, a gleam in his eyes. "Oh, I'm sure we will," he said with a wag of his eyebrows. Iruka blushed and punched his arm.

"I didn't need to know that," he grumbled and Mizuki laughed.

Suddenly the door to the Chief's office opened, and the man himself stepped out in all his uniformed glory.

"We just got two calls in from a Miss Hinata Hyuuga and a Miss Tenten Tamura, both regarding the same thing. Apparently one of their friends sent an urgent request for police but is unable to call. I want you two to go check it out. It might be a Halloween prank, but the girls sounded pretty sincere. Here's the address," he tossed over a small, crumpled note and Mizuki caught it. He unfolded the paper and blanched.

"Chief, you seriously need to work on your hand writing," he mumbled.

Kakashi raised a silver brow. "And why is that?"

Mizuki held up the note. "Well, for one, it looks like an octopus tried to write it and the entire address looks like the word 'Penis Drive'," he commented blandly.

Iruka snickered into his hand when Kakashi huffed and slammed his door closed. "You hurt his feelings," he said and Mizuki rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"Come on, let's go see what's going on in this house."

When they arrived at the address, it was to see the house dark and dead-looking. The only light that could be seen was the Jack-O-Lantern outside on the porch railing.

"Well...considering the day and the time, all that darkness is suspicious," Iruka mumbled. Mizuki nodded and they climbed out of their car. Climbing up the steps, Mizuki knocked on the door.

"Hello?" he called.

They waited, peering through the windows but it was too dark inside to see anything when compared to the light of the surrounding houses outside. Children in costumes were walking through the streets with parents or older siblings, and their chatter made it hard to hear anything in the house.

Iruka knocked on the door again. "Hello? Is anyone home? This is Officer Umino here!"

They stood by, waiting but nothing could be heard. Just as Iruka moved to knock again, however, there was a crashing sound and a loud, frightened and pained scream from inside the house.

"Oh shit!" Mizuki said, pulling out his gun. Iruka did the same and they both stood at the door. Mizuki tried to open it, but it was locked. He sent a look to Iruka who nodded and together they kicked at the door. After three solid hits their combined strength broke it down. They rushed inside, guns at the ready and flashlights set.

They entered the entrance hallway, looking around. They heard another yell and more crashing and darted into the hallway.

"Help me!" someone was yelling and they turned a corner to see three teenage boys struggling through the hall. A blond and a raven were trying to help a brunet to his feet. Blood was pouring down his foot and onto the floor, indicating a serious slash wound on his ankle. Just beyond their lights reach they could see something was holding onto his foot, tugging him back.

Iruka rushed forwards, shining the light on the perpetrator. His eyes widened when he saw what looked like a small gremlin-creature that screeched at him and darted away from his light.

"What the hell was that?" he said in disbelief.

"Iruka!" Mizuki's voice made him turn away and rush over to the three boys.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, seeing bandages on the brunet's arm and shoulder and lots of scratches on the raven. The blond looked pale and there was a blood mark on the back of his shirt. Iruka guessed there was an injury there too. "What happened?"

"It's trying to kill us!" the brunet yelped, clutching at his bleeding ankle.

"Who's trying to kill you?" Mizuki asked, shining his light down the hall. He couldn't see any signs of another human in the hall, and none of the struggle signs indicated that another human was even involved. The scratch marks on the floor all looked like the work of a wild animal.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," the raven said, his voice cracking as he tried to stop the blood flow on his friend's foot. "But there's something in this house and it's attack us and trying to kill us!"

"Well, I'm going to find out what it is!" Mizuki said gruffly. "Iruka, you take them out to the car. If this is some kind of prank, you boys are in trouble!"

"Does this look like a prank?" the blond yelled, indicating his friend's foot. Mizuki glanced down and swallowed. That injury was definitely real.

"Alright, alright! Iruka, take these boys out while I check out the house," he said and received a nod from his companion.

"Come on boys, let's go," Iruka said, hefting Kiba's arm over his shoulder to offer support. The blond did the same for his other arm and the raven followed them as they walked to the front door.

Mizuki watched them go for a minute before looking back to the darkened halls. He held up his flashlight and began to walk through the house slowly. He kept his ears and eyes open, scoping out the room with his flashlight. It looked like the boys had been struggling against the attacker for a while now judging by the mess everywhere. Scratch marks littered every inch of the place and he frowned, wondering what was chasing the boys.

He continued to pick his way through the room, keeping his gun up and his eyes trained for the slightest sign of movement. He heard something shift behind him and spun around, gun pointing and finger on the trigger. He stopped when he saw nothing but a strange doll lying on the floor. It looked like some kind of pumpkin decoration, and he frowned.

"I hate Halloween," he mumbled, looking at the strange doll. He turned away, deciding that this room seemed to be clear. The shifting sound came again and he paused in his steps, barely looking over his shoulder. Movement caught his eye and he turned his head fully. Blood froze in his veins and his jaw dropped open in horror.

The doll decoration from before was standing up, demonic eyes trained on him and a wide leer on its face. Three blades on each of its hands clinked together slightly as it took a step forward, the shifting of sand accompanying the movement. Mizuki took a shaky step back, lifting his gun.

"No way," he breathed. The doll let out a hissing breath, green eyes wavering slightly before it moved.

Outside, Iruka had just helped place the brunet teen into the back of their police car. The other two were already inside the car, looking out at the house fearfully. Suddenly a strange scream echoed from the depths of the house, and then tow gunshots went off abruptly. Iruka banged his head on the roof of the car as he pulled out and gripped his hair in pain as he jogged up the porch.

"Mizuki!" he called, stepping inside the house and looking around. "Mizuki, where are you?"

There was another gunshot and Iruka jumped, turning to the right where the nose came from. He quickly moved through the house, flashlight shining brightly against the walls. He entered what appeared to be the living room and froze.

Mizuki lay on the floor, limbs jerking slightly as his eyes stared up at the ceiling. Blood was pouring from his mouth and the slice in his throat, and it stained the floor around him. Iruka gasped, rushing over and falling to his knees beside his friend.

"Mizuki! Hang on!" he said, fumbling to grab his radio. He clicked it on and spoke hurriedly. "This is Officer Umino requesting back-up and medical assistance! Officer down! Send paramedics to 9 Crescent Drive!"

Mizuki gargled suddenly, eyes swivelling over to Iruka. His hand came up, clutching at the brunet's jacket. Iruka stopped talking, staring down at the pale faced man with wide eyes. Blood spurted from Mizuki's mouth as he tried to speak again. Iruka watched in horror as the light started to fade in his friend's eyes.

"No! Mizuki, just hang on! Hang on!"

Mizuki coughed some more blood before tightening his grip on Iruka's jacket. The look of pain and agony on his face was haunting as he forced broken words out of his torn throat.

"Run...Doll...Kill..._Run_..." Mizuki ground out, eyes becoming glazed. Iruka clutched onto his hands, breathing shallowly as Mizuki's head thudded back to the floor and he drew in one last, garbled breath before the light was snuffed out of his eyes and his hand went limp in Iruka's grip.

The brunet officer stared down at his friend's face, eyes wide and watering. A tear slid down his nose, across the scar he had gained in a previous incident. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was no way Mizuki was dead. It just...wasn't possible.

A shifting sound and a metallic thud made him look up slowly. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the same, strange creature from earlier standing a few feet away, barely illuminated by the edge glow of his flashlight beam. It was upright, glowing green eyes staring straight at him. The wicked leer on its face seemed wider than before and half of its ruddy orange skin was smeared with red blood.

Mizuki's blood.

Iruka swallowed thickly, his hand slowly letting go of Mizuki's. He stared at the doll, seeing the claws twitching slightly as it glared at him. His other hand slowly slid backwards, reaching for the gun he'd placed in the holster on his hip. His brown eyes never left the creature before him and he closed his fingers around the handle.

The creature shrieked, the sound echoed and demonic as it reverberated through the house and his very core. It lunged at him and Iruka jumped back, pulling the gun around in a quick motion and firing a shot. The creature let out an agonized shriek when the bullet slammed into one of its arms. The pumpkin skin burst, and sand cascaded over the floor. Mixed with the sand was a strange, black substance that seemed to turn to smoke before vanishing into the air.

Iruka didn't waste time to watch, however. He turned and sprinted from the room, head straight for the front door. He ran out onto the porch, seeing the teenagers in his car watching him with wide, terrified eyes. He heard the creature coming after him and didn't bother taking the stairs. Instead he vaulted right over the porch and the hedges and landed, stumbling slight before he reached his car. Ripping the door open he sat inside and slammed the door shut. He started the engine and peeled away from the sidewalk and raced down the road.

Once he turned the corner and the house was out of sight, he spoke up.

"What the FUCK was that thing?" he yelled, turning angry eyes to the three teens in the back.

"We don't know! We received a package earlier today with that doll thing inside! But it wasn't alive, it was just a doll! Then when we were looking for it later on it was suddenly alive!" the brunet teen yelled in a panic.

Iruka cursed as he took a turn sharply, and he heard the grunts of the boys getting jostled around. "What are your names?" he demanded.

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

"K-Kiba!"

Iruka nodded briefly, turning another corner and slowing the car down slightly before coming to a stop altogether. They were in an empty parking lot, the light of a flickering street lamp illuminating the car interior.

"I'm Iruka Umino...Now, care to further explain why the hell my partner and best friend was just murdered by some demonic doll?" he said in a low, quivering voice.

The teens looked pale.

"...It murdered him?" Naruto whimpered, his eyes wide and horrified. Iruka clenched his jaw and nodded slowly.

Sasuke looked shaken as he placed a hand on his throat, eyes downcast. Iruka caught the action and he pulled away the wire meshing to reach over and pull Sasuke's hand away. His eyes studied the cut along the teen's throat and he looked up into onyx eyes. "It almost got you too?"

Sasuke nodded slowly. "Earlier...but, Kiba got it away somehow," he mumbled and Iruka sharply turned to the brunet.

"I just s-shined the light on it! It doesn't like the light, so it moved away," he explained. Iruka nodded slowly, looking away in thought. His eyes landed on a picture taped to the dashboard and he frowned in sadness. The picture was of him, Mizuki and Mizuki's fiancé Tsubaki at a party. The couple were holding each other, but Mizuki still had an arm slung over Iruka's shoulder like a good friend.

Sasuke watched as Iruka seemed to struggle not to cry and a wave of guilt washed over him. The police officer had died because of them. The doll was targeting them, but it seemed to have no problems killing anyone that got in its way.

"Officer...i-if it's any help at all...we believe this thing is related to a legend called Pumpkin Skin," he began. Iruka looked up at him, nodding for him to continue and Sasuke gripped Naruto's hand tightly as he spoke. "From what we read, it's a curse that someone sets on another person by giving them a specially made doll that comes alive on the night of Halloween and kills them as punishment for their 'sins' as determined by the curse-caster. But they also said that the curse ends at sunrise, regardless of the victim's survival or not."

"So you're saying that someone cursed you guys and you have to stay alive until sunrise?" Iruka summarized and the boys nodded. He narrowed his eyes. "This is extremely unbelievable, I hope you know."

"You saw it for yourself though! We're not making this up! Fuck, I wish we were just making this up!" Naruto said, burying his head in his hands as his shoulders shook. "Why is this happening?"

Sasuke pulled him into a hug while Kiba rubbed at his eyes. Iruka watched them, knowing that they weren't lying and that this was just as horrible for them as it was for him. He sighed, cupping his chin.

"Do you know of anyone that would want to curse you?" he asked slowly, looking back to the boys. Kiba shook his head, still rubbing his eyes. Sasuke thought hard, but he honestly couldn't think of anyone.

Naruto was still bent over, silent. Suddenly he sprung up, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "Holy Franken-fuck!" he said, turning to look at the others. "It might've been Danzou and his wife!"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Danzou Shimura? The creepy old dude from down the block? Come on Naruto, I know people say he's a voodoo guy but that's just rumours!"

"No, no it really might be him! I ran into him on my way home from the convenience store this morning!" Naruto said hastily. "And his wife was giving me shit so I told her to shut up and insulted her a bit and she said I better be carefully before I get 'cursed to death'! She even said me and my delinquent housemates too!"

Kiba pulled his hands away, staring at Naruto with wide, angry eyes. "So that bloody bitch and her freaky-deaky husband are trying to kill us because they've got issues with our laid back lifestyle?" he demanded. "My dog might be dead, your cat might be dead, a police officer IS dead and all because some old hag didn't take kindly to being called out on her age?" he roared, slamming his fist against the back of the chair. Sasuke also looked furious and Iruka sighed heavily.

"You don't know for sure that they're the culprits...but it's a starting place. What's their address? We'll go over there now and confront them about it. They won't be able to hide the truth. A police officer has been killed in this whole mess...they've got no choice," he said, turning to rev up the engine.

Sasuke leant forward in his seat slightly. "They live at number—"

A metallic scream cut off their conversation and Naruto let out a high pitched scream and pointed out the front window. Their heads swivelled around and gasps echoed in the car when they saw the doll standing on the hood. Its metal claws were scratching along the hood cover and it was grinning devilishly. Sparks were flickering up from the metal-on-metal contact and then the doll pulled its claws up to its face, turning them sideways and covering one of its eyes.

"Oh shit—"

Iruka's curse was cut off when it lunged forwards and the glass of the windscreen cracked at the force. The very tip of the blade had penetrated the glass and one more hit would break it. Iruka turned on the engine and swung the shift, slamming his foot down. The car jerked and zoomed backwards. The doll was knocked off from the force of the motion and Iruka hit the brakes, quickly changing the gears again. They saw the doll stand up and start to dart towards them. Iruka growled and hit the accelerator.

The car shot forwards, right for the doll. They saw it jump.

"Hang on!" Iruka yelled and swung the steering wheel. The car screeched as it spun and there was a loud bang as the side of the car smacked against the oncoming doll, sending it backwards and skidding across the pavement.

Iruka spun the wheel again and they drove away from the parking lot, rubber burning as it spun against gravel and they peeled out at high speed.

* * *

><p>Iruka knocked on the door before him and turned to look at the three teens standing on the porch behind him. They had bandaged Kiba's foot with a medi-kit in Iruka's car and he was leaning against Naruto for support. Sasuke was looking around every few seconds, paranoid that the doll was going to show up again. None of them doubted that the creature would turn up eventually, but hopefully they had enough time to get Danzou to reverse the curse.<p>

At least, they hoped he was the culprit and that he could.

Iruka knocked on the door again. "Mr Shimura, this is the police! Open up please!" he called.

"How much longer until sunrise?" Kiba mumbled and Sasuke looked at his watch.

"Four hours still," he replied and Kiba groaned.

"It feels like it's been forever!"

Naruto nodded. "But actually...when you think about it time has moved pretty fast. We must have been locked up in my room a lot longer than we thought," he said. Sasuke just shrugged lightly, glancing around nervously while his hand came up to play with Naruto's hairline. Blue eyes fluttered slightly and he smiled a bit at the affectionate, and albeit nervous, touches.

"Danzou! Open the door! This is the last warning!" Iruka called angrily, pounding his fist against the wood. He was in no mood to sit by and be polite. His best friend was dead, and he had three innocent teenage boys to protect from some demonic voodoo monster trying to slice them to pieces. He growled and got ready to kick the door down when there was a shuffling sound and it opened slightly. An elderly woman was peering out at them through a wrinkled eye.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

Iruka met her glare with one of her own. "I'm Officer Umino, and I'm here to question your husband about a suspicious and dangerous package that was sent," he said shortly.

The woman eyed him before her gaze slid over the boys. Contempt and dislike filled the old orbs and she turned back to Iruka.

"Whatever lies these little bastards have fed you, you're a fool for believing them!" she said.

Iruka growled. "Mrs Shimura, open the door right now. This isn't a stupid little complaint. Lives are at risk and your husband may be connected!" he snapped.

She glared at him, taking in his angry countenance. "You have a warrant?" she asked snidely and Iruak froze. A leer stretched her old face. "If you have no warrant, then you have no right to come barging in and demanding stupid things," she said. She was about to close the door when Iruka's had shot out, grabbing the edge and almost smacking her in the face.

He leant closer, furious eyes glaring at the old lady. "You see this?" he asked, moving his hand further into her vision. She looked at it and her eyes widened at the blood smeared across her door and his palm. She looked back to him and he narrowed his eyes.

"That is the blood of my murdered partner. _That_ is my fucking warrant," he shoved the door open once she stepped back, gripping her robe to her. The boys followed, sending wary glances out the door before they closed it.

The old woman led them to the living room where she sat down angrily. Iruka stood before her while the boys stayed together in a corner.

"Where's your husband?" Iruka asked.

"Upstairs in bed," she grumbled and Iruka narrowed his eyes. "Fine, I'll go call him!" she snapped, jumping to her feet and trudging out the room and up the stairs.

Iruka watched her go for a minute, breathing deeply as he massaged his temples.

Sasuke pressed his hand to his head. He was so tired now that he wasn't running for his life. Naruto yawned and Kiba looked dead on his feet, indicating that they too were feeling exhausted. Kiba mumbled something under his breath, but Naruto heard the name 'Akamaru' and he held back a wince. They still didn't know where the dog was, but he hoped that somehow Akamaru was alive and okay. He didn't even know where Kyuubi was after the doll had taken on his appearance.

There were soft thuds of feet and everyone turned to watch as the old lady returned with Danzou in tow. He still had his bandages on and was leaning heavily on a cane. His good eye peered at the three of them with an eerie gaze of scrutiny before turning to Iruka.

"What is the problem, Officer?" he asked in a deep, gravelled voice as he moved to take a seat. Iruka turned his whole body to face the man.

"Mr Shimura...do you know anything about a legend regarding Pumpkin Skin?" he asked.

Danzou blinked. "A legend about pumpkin skin?" he repeated, his eyebrow rising. "Is this a joke?"

"I assure you, Mr Shimura, this is all very real. Did you, or did you not, cast a curse upon these three boys?" Iruka asked, pointing to the three teens. Danzou looked properly confused as he turned to survey the teens before turning back to Iruka.

"I'm not quite sure I understand the question...You're asking me if I 'cursed' these boys?" he spoke the word with obvious scepticism.

Naruto was starting to sweat. What if they were wrong? What if Danzou was just some creepy old dude? What would they do then? It was four hours until sunrise! They would have to either keep moving or find some secure place, but where was secure?

Iruka continued to question the man while the teens stood in their corner, wondering what to do. Sasuke covered a yawn, glancing to the window as he did so. He choked on his own air when he saw the doll soaring straight for the window.

"Loo—"

His warning was short lived when the window smashed as the doll burst through. Shards of glass rained down on them as Sasuke shoved Kiba and Naruto out of the way. Iruka cried out in shock even as the woman screamed loudly and Danzou jumped to his feet in surprise.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Kiba!" Iruka called, grabbing his gun and rushing over to where the boys were on the floor. He dragged Naruto to his feet and worked on getting Kiba up with Sasuke while his eyes roved around to find the doll.

There was a screech from behind and they spun around to see the doll jumping onto the couch near Danzou. It let out another scream as it lunged for the man and Iruka didn't think twice before he shot.

The bullet smashed straight into the doll's head and there was a monstrously loud scream that seemed to have a million condensed echoes. The sound reverberated in their heads as the head of the doll burst open. Sand, hardened pumpkin teeth and black smoke erupted into the air while the body thudded to the floor, spilling more sand and strange smoke into the room.

Iruka panted heavily, arms still raised. Naruto was holding onto Kiba and Sasuke, their eyes trained on the remains of the doll. Danzou was standing perfectly still, mouth gaping open in surprise while his wife stood just beyond reach at the edge of the couch.

"...Is...Is it dead?" Naruto asked slowly, looking at the sand on the floor. The pieces of doll lying around weren't moving. "Did you kill it?"

Iruka was still panting as he slowly lowered his arms, and stared at the remains. "I...I think so..." he breathed.

Kiba started to make small, breathy laughs as he slapped his hands to his face. "It's over? It's really over? And we're alive?" he said hysterically, grinning when Naruto joined in his hesitant laughter and Sasuke rested on all fours, head bowed as he released several deep breathes of relief.

"Thank you God," the raven whispered, sitting back on his haunches and smiling at the other two. Naruto grinned in return and leant over; giving him a pleased kiss that Sasuke was the first to deepen while Kiba just clapped his hands like a retarded seal in joy.

Iruka smiled awkwardly, still unsure if things were really over. He looked over to Danzou, ready to apologize for his harsh behaviour before when he noticed the man was cupping his mouth. He looked like he wanted to throw up.

"Mr Shimura, are you alright?" he asked worriedly, taking a step towards the man. Danzou's wife also stepped forwards.

"Dear? Dear, what's wrong?" she asked, stretching out a hand. Danzou trembled violently before suddenly throwing his head back and screaming. Everyone jumped and their eyes widened when they saw the black smoke from the doll being sucked into Danzou's mouth. When it was all gone he doubled over, head bowed.

Iruka watched him cautiously while the woman just moved to her husband's side.

"Danzou? Danzou, what's happened to you?" she asked shrilly, wrinkled hands pulling at his arm. Danzou straightened up suddenly, his head still bowed. Everyone was silent as they watched him and then a small chuckle filled the room and froze the hearts of the three teens who knew the sound all too well.

"Danzou—!" she was cut off when he rounded on her and his hands grabbed her face. She screamed loudly when he started to drag her to the side by her face. Iruka was already pointing his gun at the man.

"Let her go Danzou!" he ordered. Danzou paused with his back to them before his head turned to the side. There was a cracking sound as his head didn't stop turning until it was facing them directly and they all gaped at the glowing green in his eyes and the sharpened teeth he revealed in a wide grin.

Mrs Shimura's scream was cut off when her head was harshly thrust to the side and her neck snapped like a toothpick.

"Danzou!" Iruka yelled and clenched his jaw as he fired a shot. The bullet slammed into the old man's shoulder and he jerked backwards, his head turning to look at the entrance wound. Another chuckle sounded as his head swivelled around to face them again and suddenly he was rushing straight for Iruka. The brunet cursed loudly as he tried to step back but it was too late. Danzou appeared right in front of him, demonic eye glowing. Iruka cried out when he was shoved roughly. He flew backwards, and landed on the floor, sliding. He yelled in agony when the glass shards from the window pierced his back as he landed and then scratched further down from his sliding. He came to a stop a few feet away from the entrance to the living room and stilled, groaning in pain.

"Iruka!" Naruto yelled, eyes wide. There was a rush of movement and he turned to see Danzou looming over him. Fear pumped through his veins as he saw a sharply-nailed hand slashing towards him. But something dived into his vision and a scream tore from his throat as Sasuke got sliced across the chest. Blood splattered to the floor and Naruto could barely make out Sasuke's face at this angle. But he saw the way his eyes rolled back in his head as he toppled forward. "SASUKE!" Naruto jumped forwards, grabbing the raven and pulling him back to his chest, cradling him close. The wounds were deep and blood was steadily staining through Sasuke's torn shirt. Naruto felt his eyes tearing up and he could hear Kiba shouting in fear behind him as Danzou once again loomed.

He looked up, blue eyes meeting a single demonic green glare and he knew tears were running down his face. But he couldn't move or make a sound as death approached him in the form of a possessed man.

"NARUTO!" Kiba screamed, knowing that the blond was going to die if he didn't move. But Kiba couldn't move himself. Everything was happening to fast.

A gunshot rent through the air and Danzou's head snapped back, blood spattering out the back. A small plume of steam rose up from the hole in his forehead and his visible eye rolled upwards, the glowing green vanishing into whiteness while his gaping mouth slackened even more. He stayed standing for a moment longer before falling, landing far too close to Naruto for his liking. He scrambled back, eyes wide as some of the blood-spray from Danzou's fall slid down his cheeks.

Kiba panted for breath, disbelieving that they had been saved. Slowly he turned his head, ready to ask Iruka to marry him for saving their lives. He paused when he saw Iruka looking over his shoulder too and followed his line of sight.

Standing in the hallway just outside the living room was a man with grey hair and a scar running over his left eye. He was wearing the same uniform as Iruka, but there was a large Chief badge pinned to his chest. His arm was still outstretched and the gun in his hand smoked slightly from the recently fired shot.

"K-Kakashi, sir," Iruka stammered, tacking on the respectful acknowledgment out of pure habit.

Kakashi lowered his arm and took in the entire scene with carefully blank eyes.

"Well...this was quite a mess," he said easily. He walked over to Iruka and eased him up, looking at the cuts on his back. "You'll need the hospital for that," he noted before moving to Kiba and the others. He took one look at Sasuke and nodded. "So will he." Then he looked at Kiba and took in his foot. "And you too."

"Chief!" Iruka called, wincing as he moved to his feet. "H-How did you know?" he asked and Kakashi smiled as he pulled Kiba up. The brunet stood over Naruto, trying to coax him to stand.

"Well, I received your radioed message a little late. Something seemed to have been wrong with the radio waves. Naturally I rushed over...and I found Mizuki," his voice turned solemn. "I' m so sorry Iruka."

Iruka looked down, his face pained.

"I was looking for you even as I called in paramedics to deal with him. And it was certainly strange. I stepped outside of the house, wondering where you could've gone with the residents of the house, when suddenly I feel a tugging on my leg," he smiled and whistled slightly.

There was a pattering of feet and a small bark. Kiba's head snapped up so fast his neck cricked, but he didn't care as he saw his big, fuzzy white companion trotting into the room.

"AKAMARU!" he cried tearfully, holding open his arms. Akamaru whined and barked, rushing over and attacking Kiba with licks and nuzzles as the brunet laughed and cried at the same time. There was a meow and Naruto started at seeing Kyuubi, the real Kyuubi, pressing against his and Sasuke's legs.

"That dog was tugging on my leg, and I eventually caught on that he wanted me to follow him. Very good dog, I must say," Kakashi added towards Kiba who just hugged the canine harder. "Anyway, he led me to this house where the cat was sitting on the hood of your car. After that, I heard a gunshot and rushed in. Well, except for the fact that I got a bit lost and ended up in the kitchen before I finally found me way here," he admitted with a chuckle.

Naruto tuned things out from then on, just holding Sasuke in his arms as Iruka and Kakashi talked and Kiba held onto Akamaru and sobbed happily at being alive. He felt cold from where he sat, and even thought Kyuubi was meowing and pawing at his leg, he couldn't do a thing. He just stared down at Sasuke's face, seeing the faint slip of white from his almost closed eyelids and the blood running down his chest and the corner of his mouth. He was trembling as he pulled the raven closer, and more tears were slipping out and down his scarred cheeks.

"S-Sasuke..." he whimpered. "I-m s-so sorry...I-I've been s-so horrible to you lately...I j-just...I l-love you so much I've b-become so jealous and y-you really deserve someone so m-much better than me so I was s-scared that you were going to l-leave me and I just couldn't d-deal with that!" he buried his face into Sasuke's shoulder. "I l-love you so much you b-bastard!"

There was a breath against his ear and he felt a hand caress his cheek. Pulling back with wide eyes he stared into pain-glazed onyx while Sasuke's lips turned up in a small smile.

"Moron...You're the only one for me," he murmured softly. Naruto held back a sob, closing his eyes tightly. The tears hanging on his lashes dripped down onto Sasuke's cheek as the raven closed his eyes, smiling still as the sirens of an ambulance wailed outside and the hurried steps of paramedics flooded the room. "Love you..."

Naruto took a shaky breath as he saw a paramedic approaching to take Sasuke away and fit him on a stretcher. He placed a gentle, loving kiss on the pale forehead.

"Love you too bastard."

Kakashi watched as the teens were loaded up into the ambulance along with Iruka and another one dealt with the corpses of the old couple. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette which he put to his lips and lit while looking around at all the creepy decorations adorning the surrounding houses.

"Well...Happy Halloween," he mumbled, walking away towards the sunrise.

* * *

><p><strong>The End.<strong>

**Ho ho ho ho ho-Oops, wrong season.. I meant, MUAHAHAHAHAA! :D**

**And so we reach the end of this years Halloween Three-Shot...How did you all like it? ^_^ I hope it was frightening and enjoyable. And yes, the ending was a pretty happy one seeing as all the teens survived and such...but not everyone walks away unscathed. **

**And I couldn't help but find Iruka quite the badass...now, before anyone notes on his OOCness, let's not forget that Iruka is a pretty badass guy normally, it's just he settled for a life where his badassery wasn't needed too often. In this fic, he's a cop who just lost his best friend and partner and wants to help the poor teens and thus his badass side is revealed...and then there's Kakashi who's just...well... Kakashi. :/ It's a self-explanatory name, actually.**

**Once again, I hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review with your thoughts! And for the final time... **

**Happy Halloween!**

***~2011~***


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